Grayson
by The Flying Hawaiian 001
Summary: After the fall of the Justice League and the Teen Titans, only Dick and Rachel remain alive, both far past their prime, and with Dick seeking peace for their lives, wanting nothing to do with what he used to be. However, when a mysterious girl suddenly comes into their lives, both are dragged back into the action for one last ride. Set after Trouble in Tokyo. Rated a hard R.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 _This is a Teen Titans version of the movie 'Logan'. I own neither 'Teen Titans' nor 'Logan', though I wish I did, and all rights belong to DC Comics/Warner Brothers Studios and Marvel Comics/20th Century Fox Studios, respectively. Read, review, and enjoy the ride._

Richard John 'Dick' Grayson was sleeping in the backseat of his '32 Mustang limousine. He was dreaming about an island, and sitting on top of it, meditating, surrounded by his friends, family, and those he held dear to his heart. All of them safe, and away from the cruelty of reality. Away from harm. Away from those who made it a life goal to destroy his and his loved ones' lives.

Unfortunately for Dick, he would be woken up from his first peaceful sleep in a long time to the sound of tools being used on his car, and a trashy Mexican hip-hop song playing on another car's radio. His eyes were clearly tired, and the bags under them cemented that fact. "Ugh… what the fuck?" He managed to grumble. He wasn't in the mood for what was going on, not now, not ever. He already knew what was going on: some idiots were trying to jack his car.

He stumbled out, hungover from the previous night's annual 'get-drunk' fest, and saw exactly what he was expecting: Mutants. Just a couple of guys from the age of fifteen to twenty-two who liked to rob people, scare them, and make the days of others worse. This particular group of Mutants consisted of a couple of guys, all of them looking roughly in their twenties, who were using power tools to try and take the tires off of his vehicle.

"Uh, guys?" The Mutants almost immediately stopped what they were doing, and looked at the wethered, hungover, and clearly tired old man standing in front of them. "Those are chrome-plated lugs, you're gonna need to strip them for parts." Dick said matter-of-factly. The younger men were unintimidated by his deep voice, and tall stature. Some of them even laughed at him, a bit.

"Honestly, no one's gonna pay to ride-" Dick was stopped mid-sentence when one of the thugs pulled out a shotgun and blasted him in the abdomen, knocking the older man to the ground. "Pendejo." One of the Mutants, the one that shot him, said. "Qué puta." And they proceeded to make an attempt to steal the tires off the car.

Dick was fortunate he wore a bulletproof vest underneath his suit coat and dress shirt every night, in case of situations like the one he was dealing with. The impact of the bullet still hurt like Hell, though. "Oh, shit." He managed to groan.

Then, he mustered up any strength he had left, and started to get up, surprising the carjackers, who backed away once again.

"Guys, seriously, you don't wanna do this." He said, before reaching inside his belt for his bo staff, only to find an empty bottle of booze. " _Damn it. Did I really leave the staff back at_ -" He was unable to finish his thought, as he was attacked by one of the Mutants, who smashed a lead pipe into the right side of his face, knocking him over a little.

He was then attacked by another Mutant, who came at him by hitting him in the chest with the butt of his shotgun. A third attacker came at him with a knife, but Dick managed to catch him off balance by kicking his left foot, knocking the attacker down to the ground. A fourth attacker came at him, this time taking Dick on hand-to-hand. Dick managed to counterattack most of the Mutant's moves, knocking him backwards, but it was when he aimed his handgun at the car that Dick got legitimately worried.

"NO! Not the car!" As the Mutant started shooting, Dick got in front of where he was aiming at, and took two bullets for the car, one in the leg, the other near his stomach. The bullets slowed Dick down, giving the Mutants the advantage to beat him down. The Mutant that had shot him earlier whacked him to the ground with his gun, while the others started kicking him and beating him with their crowbars and pipes. They yelled orders at one another, such as "get him", or "fuck him up".

Then, one of the Mutants kicked Dick over, causing the others to start kicking his back and sides. And the final straw for Dick came when the Mutant wielding the shotgun hit him in the head with the front of his gun. As the Mutant began to cock his shotgun, Dick let out a loud, angry, and fierce growl, as he grabbed the beer bottle he dropped on the ground when he was hit with a lead pipe earlier, and smashed it into the poor slob's face, causing him to fire his weapon at the car.

"Motherfuc-" Dick growled angrily, as another Mutant tried to hit him with the gun, to which Dick broke his wrist, flipped him over, and kicked him square in the chest. He then broke the nose of the Mutant with the lead pipe, snatched it from his hands, and beat him in the face and legs with it. For his final trick, Dick knocked down the Mutant with the knife, who was trying to attack him from behind, and only with one hit of his right fist.

Brutally beaten, but still conscious, the Mutants finally got the memo, scrambled into their van, and began to drive off, but not before Dick threw a crowbar at the front window of the van. He watched them drive away, until they were out of sight.

It wasn't until that point that he began to contemplate the way he had beaten those idiots. On the one hand, they attacked and provoked him, when he hadn't really threatened them, so they kind of deserved it. But did they really deserve to get beaten in the way that he would have beaten Slade? Brother Blood? Or even the Joker?

No longer wanting to think about it, Dick took the tools that were still attached to his tire off, made his way to the front seat, put his key into the ignition, and drove to a nearby hospital. " _I wonder how I'm gonna explain this to a doctor_." The former superhero, now 46 years old, sporting long, graying hair and a bushy beard, thought to himself.

 _Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

The next morning, after having gone to a doctor and getting the two bullets that were forced into his body, and some thorough explaining to said doctor as to why there were two bullets lodged into his body, Dick woke up on a cot in the doctor's office, grabbed his shirt, which he had to take off in order to show where the wounds were, left the money needed to pay for his overnight treatment, and snuck out of the hospital.

When he exited the place, Dick made his way across the street to the parking lot where he left his car the previous night, got in, and turned on both the car and the radio. The radio started playing the same hip-hop song the carjackers were listening to the previous night, making Dick cringe and change the channel.

* * *

After stopping at a diner and getting himself a slice of pie and a cup of coffee, Dick made his way to the house of the people he needed to drive. It was a family of four, and the Mother's grandfather had just passed away. He picked them up, and drove them to the cemetery where the funeral was taking place. As soon as they arrived, it began to rain, hard. " _Great. Just what I need_." Dick thought to himself, when he parked the car.

As the funeral was going on, Dick found a tall tree nearby, one that covered him from the rain, for the most part, and drank from a half empty bottle of booze. When it ended, he threw the now empty bottle into a nearby trash, and walked over to the family, ready to seat them.

When he began to get the melancholic family into his car, a Hispanic woman began walking up to him, with a look of desperation on her face. "It's you. It's really you. I've looked for you for a long time." Hearing this, Dick immediately decided to ignore it, and continued getting the family into the car.

Not taking no for an answer, even if it wasn't said, the woman walked directly up to Dick, and spoke to him. "Listen, I need you. We need your-" She was interrupted by Dick's straightforward and curt response. "Not interested. Now go away."

As he continued seating the family, the woman stood, completely shocked that a former hero wouldn't help her, especially considering how in need of help she was. Nevertheless, she continued to attempt to persuade him. "Please, sir! We need your help! You're the only one that could help!"

As soon as she said this, Dick stopped seating the Mother of the family, turned to face the woman, and spoke, with complete harshness in his voice, to her. "Listen, lady. I don't know what you want with me, but from what it sounds like, you're trying to get in touch with a guy who doesn't do what he used to do, anymore. So get the fuck away from me and my car, and stay out of my way!"

With that, Dick got into the car, and began to drive away. As he drove, he saw the visibly saddened and shocked woman drive past him. As she drove away, he saw a little girl with jet black, shoulder length hair, and emerald green eyes, stare directly at him. "Who was that woman? It seemed like she knew you." The Mother said. "No. I don't know her. She was nobody. Probably just a crazy person, so don't worry about it." Dick said, nonchalantly.

Dick did, however, begin to think deeply on the little girl that was with the woman. " _Why did she look so familiar? So similar to-"_ Suddenly, he decided to stop the thought, not wishing to dwell on the past, and to focus on the hopeful plans he had for the future. It wasn't that he thought that thinking about the past was bad. In fact, it was the best time of his life, if he was being completely honest with himself. But there was a reason that those wonderful times were called the past, and they didn't matter to what was happening in his life, at the moment.

* * *

After he dropped the family off at their home, Dick began to drive for a while, but he did so without much thought. As he drove aimlessly, Dick suddenly remembered that it was Friday. " _Shit! I forgot what day it was! I better call Ryan and tell him that I'll meet him, soon_." With that, he took out his iPhone 22, pulled up the contacts on his phone, and clicked on one that read the name 'Ryan'. As the phone began ringing, Dick began to get nervous. "Please have the stuff. If he doesn't have it, we're fucked." He spoke to himself, worriedly.

Dick's anxiety was brought down significantly when he heard Ryan's voice. "Hello?" The younger male said, quite groggily. Dick then breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, Ryan, it's Dick. It's Exchange Day. Do you have what I need?" Dick said. "I do, and I can give it to you, if you have what I need. So, the only question that remains is 'do you have the money'?" Ryan replied. "Yeah, I've got your money." Dick responded, assurance in his voice. "Great. Meet me at the usual spot in thirty minutes." Ryan said, with a slight coolness in his voice. "I'll be there in fifteen." Dick responded, and with that, he hung up.

Thirty minutes later, after fifteen minutes of waiting for Ryan to show up, Dick saw Ryan's car, an old Dodge Challenger, pull up. Ryan, a skinny, tall, twenty-two year old man proceeded to get out of his car, carrying a bag that contained what Dick needed. "Well, aren't you going to give me the money?" Ryan said, as he crossed his arms. "Wasn't planning on stealing the bag." Dick responded, as he gave the fifty dollar bill to the drug dealer, who, in return, gave the bag to Dick. Before Ryan left, Dick looked in the bag, and made sure that the prescription drugs were inside, which they were. "Thanks again, Ryan." The older man said, with a small, sad smile on his face. Ryan nodded, got into his car, and drove off.

Dick then got back into his car, unaware that he was being watched. Instead of driving off, Dick pulled a bottle of Whiskey out of the glove compartment, opened it, and began to drink, albeit slowly. Then, a younger man, blonde-haired and sporting a mustache and sunglasses, probably in his thirties, got into the backseat. "As I live and breathe, Robin, the former leader of the Teen Titans. And, from the looks of it, he's a junkie, now." The man spoke with a heavy southern drawl.

"Who the fuck are you?" Dick asked, obvious confusion in his voice. "Oh, right, where are my manners? Daniel Sullivan, pleasure to meet you." He outstretched his hand, with the hope that Dick would shake it. Instead, Dick said, "What do you want?" Sullivan was clearly agitated by Dick's rude, abrasive behavior, but he kept his cool.

"Well, a couple of friends of mine saw these three cholos who were jacking a car, and you know what else they saw? An old guy who looked like the leader of the Teen Titans, beating the shit out of them. They told me that the car the were trying to jack was a '32 Mustang limo, and, well, this is a '32 Mustang limo, if I'm correct. So, I'm assuming she's found you. See, I'm not looking for you, Robin. Well, actually, I'm looking for someone who's looking for you. Gabriella Lopez. She approached you, didn't she?" Of course Dick saw the woman, and, as much as he didn't care about her or whatever her problem was, he wouldn't sell out so easily.

"You know, I know about where you're hiding out. That old cue-ball out near the train-track, South of the border. Maybe I could pay a visit." Sullivan smugly smiled after saying that. This was Dick's breaking point. He hadn't exactly been calm up until that point, but this was the moment where he was truly angry. "There was no woman. No woman came to me. I don't know what you're talking about, and I definitely don't know any Gabriella, so get the fuck out of my car, and stay away from me!" He yelled at the man.

Taken aback and disappointed, Sullivan decided to smugly smile, and pull out something that looked like a business card. "Well, in case you do see her, call the number on the card. All I want is a little cooperation." He then set the card on the passenger's seat. He started to get out of the car, opening the door and getting out, only to look back at Dick. "I'm a fan, by the way. I used to sing the theme song at school, all the time." Sullivan said, quite sheepishly. With that, Sullivan left.

Dick then looked at the card, which read "H.I.V.E" on it. "Fuck. FUCK!" He yelled, throwing the card to the floor. He put the key into the ignition, and began to drive back to the place he liked to call 'home', at least for the moment. " _Goddamit. Whoever that lady was is really starting to fuck up everything_." He thought to himself.

 _Thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

After an hour of driving, Dick arrived at the place he called 'home'. It was an old plant, abandoned for years, and it was most certainly dirty, but, there were worse places to live. He got out of the car, and walked inside to the main section of the place, and found Wallace 'Wally' West, formerly known as Kid Flash, mopping the floors.

The former speedster looked up when he saw Dick enter. Dick continued walking, taking off his suit-coat as he did so, towards an exit. "Wally, how is she?" He asked. Wally frowned when Dick asked this. "She's having a bad day." He said, following Dick. Dick sighed, but continued on. "Well, they're all bad days, so, that's not really surprising." The former leader said, sadness evident in his voice.

"Yesterday, I tried to go in, but she started panicking. Had I not left, she probably would have done... the thing." Wally said. "Well, these will prevent that from happening." Dick said, as he neared the exit door. "Please. You and I both know that this isn't enough to help her." Wally protested. "Well, it's gonna have to do, for now." Dick said, as he opened the door.

As he exited the main part of the plant, he walked toward a gigantic, metal tank, his hand clutching a brown paper bag, all the while hearing an older, female voice rambling as she talked to herself. Then, he entered the tank.

"I need you to-" The voice stopped talking, and turned her body around to see who was entering. When she saw who it was, she started rambling again, this time getting out of the chair she was sitting in, and walking around aimlessly. "Everyone, I have good news for you! My friend has arrived, at long last! It's… it's… who are you?" The woman asked, cluelessly. "You know who I am." Dick responded. Then, the woman snapped her fingers, as if she'd discovered a breakthrough in modern medical science. "Of course! You're the man in the Taco Bell commercials! Why, yes sir! I will absolutely buy the Chicken Chalupa!" She continued rambling, all the while walking around the room, aimlessly.

Upon hearing this, Dick's frown turned into a complete look of sadness. "I'm not the Taco Bell guy. You know who I am, Rachel." Rachel Roth, Raven, also started to frown. "You're the man who puts me to sleep." Dick sighed after hearing Rachel say that. "We could both use some sleep." He took out the needle, and prepared to inject it into her arm. "NO!" She yelled, knocking him out of the way, and falling to the ground herself.

"What are you doing to me? Why are we here?" She asked. "Rach..." Dick started, before, suddenly, the ground, the tank, and everything within a ten mile radius, started shaking.

" _Oh, no_." Dick thought to himself. He fell to the ground on his knees, and, thankfully, was close to Rachel. He struggled for at least a minute, even if it felt longer than a minute, and lifted Rachel's pant leg. Then, he injected the needle as quickly as possible into her leg. After that, things were back to the way they were a minute ago. Only Dick, and even Wally, who had been pouring a cup of coffee inside the main part of the cue ball, were now trying to catch their breath.

"Why are we here?" Rachel asked. Panting, Dick wrapped his arms underneath her, and began to lift her up. Then, in spite of the pain in his body, he hobbled over to Rachel's bed, and placed her in it.

Panting, Dick said, "See, this is why I need to put that stuff into you. Understand now?" Agitated, Rachel said, "Fuck off, Grayson." Dick smiled a little. "See? you do remember me." Dick said, a bit sarcastically. "I always remember you. I just don't always recognize you." Rachel said.

Dick frowned a little, putting the needle into the trash. He then took out a bottle of pills from the bag, and opened it, pulling out two pills, which were used to suppress... _it_ from happening. "Why do you leave me with Wally? Can't Alfred get off his ass, help me out a little?" When Rachel said this, he was further disheartened.

"Rachel, Alfred is dead, remember?" Upon hearing this, Rachel also became disheartened. "I'm sorry. I didn't remember." Dick sighed, and gave the two pills to Raven, who swallowed them immediately and without much hesitation. Dick then said, "It isn't your fault. It's mine. If I hadn't brought us all together back in Jump City, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe we just shouldn't have worked together. Maybe the Titans never should have happened."

Rachel then grabbed Dick's wrist, with a very strong grip. "How dare you say that. We were in it together. We were a family, Dick. Remember? You, me, Kori, Vic, and Gar. All of the times we saved the world, all of the times we shared together. Does that mean nothing to you, anymore?" Dick abrasively ripped his wrist away from her grip. "All of that is nothing more than a memory now, Rachel. The Titans, the Justice League, superheroes... they're all dead, now."

Then, Rachel began to look worriedly at her friend. "Dick… what did you do?" Understanding very clearly what was happening, Dick strapped her down to her bed, as both he and Wally did when she started to get this way. "Dick, why aren't you telling me anything? Please, let me go!"

Dick began to walk away, but she still kept screaming at him, like a child having a fit. "Rachel, this is for your own good!" Dick said, with an unintentionally harsh tone in his voice. "No one deserves this! To be drugged and locked inside of a fucking tank! Please, let me go! Robin, please!" Hearing that last part, Dick turned around, and said, lowly, but clearly, "That isn't who I am, anymore, Rachel." And with that, he left. But Rachel continued to struggle, and yell. "You're just waiting for me to die!" She screamed, with tears in her eyes.

Unbeknownst to her, Dick heard that last part as he was walking back, making him feel even worse. " _No, Rachel. I'm not. The last thing I want is for someone else in my life to die_."

 _Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

After what happened with Rachel, Dick went back into the main building, and sat down at the dinner table. He then took a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and put it between his teeth. "I thought you quit that stuff!" He heard Wally yell at him. He sighed, and said, "I did, but, then I thought about it, and I decided that I don't want to quit. Besides, I smoke at least once a week, remember?" Wally responded with, "Does that really change anything? Also, thanks for not letting Raven kill me." Dick chuckled. "No problem."

Wally then sat next to Dick, looking down at his own lap. "Hey, Dick?" He asked. "Yeah?" The other man responded. "Why do you keep a gun in your room?"

Dick's eyes widened, knowing full well what Wally was talking about, but not wanting to admit to it. "I don't know what you-" He was interrupted by Wally. "I know that you have a gun. It's a Walther PP, fully loaded, and hidden under your bed. I know this because I was sweeping, and when I accidentally dropped my phone on the floor, I went down to pick it up, and saw the gun. Dick, were you planning, _are you planning,_ to shoot yourself?" He asked, very cautiously. "I keep the gun just in case someone uninvited comes in." Dick said, with a rising anger. "Bullshit. I read about those guys you put in the hospital. I knew it was you because you didn't kill them. So, you don't keep the gun just in case. Besides, if you're planning on blowing your brains out, I'd prefer you do it out on the high seas. I just finished mopping these floors."

Dick sighed, and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Wally. "Years ago, you asked me to help you deal with this... situation. And I have tried to be there for you, man. I know you don't have the same relationship with me that you do with people like Rachel, or relationships like the ones you had with..." Wally paused, and swallowed hard, for a moment. "... The others." He continued. "But, still. You're my friend, Dick. And I'm noticing that something is wrong with you."

Dick frowned, and pulled the cigarette from between his teeth. "Well, since you're the expert, Wally, tell me. What the fuck is wrong with me?" He asked, bitterly. Wally bit his lip, and sighed, before saying, "You're up late at night. Actually, half the time, you're out, driving folks around, and drinking yourself to death. You've got fresh blood on your clothing. Every time you're here, you try to ignore both of us, especially Rachel. And, when you are here, when you do sleep, you're always yelling and waking up. You wake up at least three times a night. Hell, you can't even read the label on that bottle, right there."

Dick looked at the bottle on the table in front of him. "The bottle says 'Ibuprofen'." Wally said. Angered beyond all belief, Dick knocked the coffee mug that Wally was drinking from out of his hands, smashing it into tiny pieces on the floor, while the coffee inside splashed on it. "Dude, that was my favorite mug! And, like I just said, I finished mopping these floors!" Dick angrily got up, and began to walk away, but not before turning around to say to Wally, "Stay out of my shit." And with that, he left.

* * *

He went to his room, took off his clothes, grabbed a towel, went to the bathroom, and got into the shower. He turned on the shower, and let the hot water caress his body. For the longest time, all he did was just stand in the shower. At one point, out of curiosity, he pulled off the bandage on one of his wounds, and let the water merge with it. He was in pain, but he didn't care. Not now, at least. It didn't hurt as much when the bullet penetrated his skin. Besides, he could just as easily have Wally bandage it, later. Or he could bandage it himself, he was more than capable.

After a lengthy shower, Dick put a new bandage on the formerly bandaged part of his body, got dressed in his usual attire, consisting of a suit-coat, a white dress shirt, and black jeans, and began to leave to go to work, back in the city.

* * *

As he was leaving, and after assuring Wally he'd be back by noon the next day, he decided to go and talk to Rachel before he left. Taking the exit that would lead him to the tank, he opened the door to the location of his friend, and found her lying wide awake, with the television that Alfred had brought in years ago. "Hey. I wanted to check on you before I left." He said. This made Rachel smile, genuinely. "Thank you." She replied. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about earlier. Trust me, I want nothing more than for all of us to get out of this place. And since I've been saving up money from my job in the city, we'll soon be able to live out the plan that Wally and I came up with. You know, to get us all on a boat. What do you think?" This made Rachel smile even bigger. "Sounds wonderful. But what about the girl?" Dick's kind smile turned into an expression of confusion. "Girl? What girl?" Rachel laughed, and said, "The one that's waiting for you. We've been communicating for days, now. She's coming with, right?"

Dick knew that there was no girl, and that there was no one that Rachel had communicated with via her Astral Plane in ages. But, at the same time, he didn't want to strike an argument with her, so he nodded his head. "Sure, she can come." Raven then closed her eyes, and said one word before drifting off to sleep: "Good."

* * *

Having done everything that he needed to do at home, Dick got into his car, and drove back into the city, returning to his job as a chauffeur. The night was mostly uneventful, but still memorable in its own right.

At one point, he drove the Wolfman family to a hotel, where they were quiet for most of the time. He also drove a couple of college boys across the border, who were all standing on the seats, yelling "U.S.A" over and over again as they stood through the sunroof.

But the most memorable to Dick was when he drove a group of teenage girls to prom. They were all sitting, chatting amongst themselves, and laughing. At one point, a girl yelled directly at Dick, "Hey, driver! Take a look at these!" She proceeded to flash her breasts at Dick, causing all of the other girls to laugh harder, and Dick to roll his eyes.

"What, you don't like what you see?" The girl asked, as she pulled up her gown. "Well, you see, I'm not really interested in young girls acting like women. That, and my heart already belongs to the most perfect woman in the world." This earned him the reaction of the girls awwing at him, and envying the lucky lady that had their driver's heart.

When he dropped off the girls at their prom, he received a text message on his phone. He took out his reading glasses, and put them on, proceeding to see what the text said. It read: "Request for a pickup from the Golden Age Motel. I'll pay good money!" Dick got back into his car, and thought about it. " _Well, I better go find out how much they're paying. Maybe it'll be a lot. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking_." After a few minutes of thinking about it, he drove to the motel, hopeful that this potential client would live up to his or her promise.

* * *

As he drove to the motel, he decided to make a call that he had wanted to make for a while. He pulled out his iPhone, put in the number he saw in the papers, which was alongside an ad for a Sunseeker boat. As soon as the number went straight to voicemail, which was what Dick expected, he began to speak. "Hello. Uh, this is Richard Grayson. I'm calling in about a Sunseeker boat that I saw an ad for in the paper a while back, and I was thinking of buying it. I mostly have the money, but I need a little more time to get the necessary amount to pay for it. I wanted to buy it as a gift for my sister and brother. Also, no paperwork. I'm not the biggest fan of paperwork. So, call me when you get this. Goodbye." After saying that, he hung up, and continued to drive.

 _Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

When he arrived at the motel, Dick saw the same little girl from the funeral just standing in the parking lot, playing with a ball of some sort. After he parked, he already knew who wanted him for a job, and his suspicions were confirmed when the woman from the funeral earlier that day, Gabriella, he believed her name was, if what Sullivan talked to him about was anything to go by, came out of her room, and began walking toward him. "Please, señor, we need your help!" Dick began walking back to his car, until the woman grabbed him by the arm, and stopped him. She was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Please!" Dick's expression turned angry very quickly, and he pulled his arm away from her with just enough force. "Look, lady, you are really fucking up my life right now! The people after you, whoever the Hell they are, they're on my ass, now!" Gabriella then calmly said, "Look, we need to get out of here. We need to be taken to North Dakota. And we need protection. And when I heard that someone who looked like the leader of the Teen Titans was driving around El Paso, I decided to come and find you. And now I have, and I'm asking you to drive us to where we need to go." Dick's eyes widened. "No. I'm not driving you to fucking North Dakota!" As he turned around to walk back to his car, Gabriella pleadingly said, "I'll give you 50000 dollars, if you drive us." Almost automatically, Dick walked back over to Gabriella. "There's no way you have that kind of money." He said. "I do. And if you listen to me, I'll show you."

Dick opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of a crash. Both looked over, and saw the little girl standing in the parking lot near a now broken window, tensed up, and missing her ball. "Hey!" A voice said. Dick then saw who the voice belonged to: an older woman walking out of her office, possibly meaning that she was the manager of the motel, and toward the little girl. "I told you not to play with that damn thing in the parking lot! Mamasita's gonna have to pay for that!" She said with a southern accent. As she neared the little girl, Gabriella got in front of her, and tried to stop her with her hands, protesting all the while. "Please! Just leave her alone! It was an accident, and she didn't know any better!" She attempted to reason with the manager some more, but her efforts were in vain. "Get the fuck off me!" The manager said as she shoved Gabriella to the ground, the latter landing on some of the shattered glass from the window, and getting cuts on her hands.

Dick immediately rushed over to Gabriella, looking at the wounds on her hands. The manager then focused her attention on Dick. "I told her and her damn kid to stop playing in the parking lot with that ball! Now they gotta pay for it. Besides, they have money. I've seen it!" Diverting his attention from the wounds to the manager, Dick said, with a surprising calmness in his voice, "Look, just go back into your office, and let us deal with this later, alright? She'll get your money." This seemed to satisfy the manager, who left in a huff. Dick then helped Gabriella back up, who looked into his eyes, and said, "Come with me. I will show you the money."

Dick helped Gabriella back to the room she said was hers, and set her on the bed. In the room, Dick saw a plentiful of Teen Titans and Justice League comics, even a few Batman and Robin comics. He picked one up, and began to flip the pages. "You read these?" He asked. The woman nodded, and grabbed a bag that was hidden under the bed. She opened the bag, and what Dick saw amazed him. " _Holy shit. She does have a lot of money. That could be enough to pay for the boat_!" He thought to himself.

He turned his attention to the woman. "So, let me get this straight: I drive you to North Dakota, I get payed 50000 dollars for the job, correct?" Gabriella nodded her head. "Alright. I'll drive you. But if I get you there, you follow through with your offer, and never come near me, again. Understood?" Gabriella continued to nod her head, and also said, "Sí, señor." Dick didn't know Spanish, despite the fact that Bruce had taught him many languages while he was under the wing of the Batman, but he obviously knew what Gabriella just said. "Good, then we've come to an understanding. But first, I need to do something. So, I'll be back tomorrow."

After bandaging Gabriella's wounds, Dick left the motel room, got into his car, and got into his car. As he began to drive away, he saw the little girl in the car mirror, just standing near the hotel room, watching him drive away.

* * *

When he returned home, he saw that all of the lights were off, meaning that Wally was asleep. Hopefully, Rachel was still asleep. It was then that he realized how tired he was, and how he needed sleep, especially considering the drive from El Paso to North Dakota was over thirteen hundred miles. So, he made the decision to go to sleep, but not before grabbing a beer from the fridge. As he crawled into bed, turning off the lights before he did so, he opened the beer can, and began to drink. As soon as he was finished, he closed his eyes, trying to sleep, which was made harder by the sound of a train rumbling as it passed by. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, in the hopes that he would dream again about the mountains.

 _Author's Note: I am so sorry I didn't update this for a few days! School was really kicking my ass this week, and took up a lot of my time! But, enough about that. I want to thank the people who commented on my story. SPKaneakua, thank you very much! Though, I don't really understand what was funny. Stratos263, thank you for your many comments! Thank you for telling me that I was off to a strong start! Also, considering what I have planned for the upcoming chapters, Dick's gonna need all the luck he can get._ _Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

When he woke up the next morning, Dick automatically got dressed, dealt with his personal hygiene, and went into the 'living room' to talk to Wally about his departure. He found Wally making a cup of coffee, and walked up to him. "Come to apologize for breaking my mug?" He said. "No. I have to leave for a few days. I'm driving a client somewhere far." Dick responded. "How far?" Wally asked. Dick sighed. "North Dakota." He said, almost hesitantly. "Holy shit. If that's the case, then you might wanna talk to Rachel about it." Dick then walked toward the exit, and looked back at Wally before opening the door. "That's the plan!"

He made his way into the tank after unlocking the door, and found Rachel up, and out of bed, sitting on a couch, and staring blankly at the television Alfred had bought her a long time ago. Her long stare was broken by the sound of him opening the door, and closing it. He walked over to where she was, and sat next to her. "You're going away, aren't you?" She asked, no emotion in her voice. "You know me so well. It'll just be for a couple of days. I'll be back before you know it."

At that moment, he got a text, and took out his reading glasses to see what it said. It was, obviously, from Gabriella. The text read, "Please, hurry." He responded back with, "I'm on my way. Leaving shortly." He hit the 'send' button, and looked back at Raven. "I like when you wear those. They make you look younger. You know, if you cut your hair, shaved, had the same spiky hair, and weren't wearing your costume." Dick laughed at her comment. "Anyway, I'll be gone for a couple of days. When I get back, we'll have the money that we need to get outta here, okay? Wally's gonna take care of you. Don't give him too much shit, okay?" Rachel nodded her head in response.

Dick got up to leave. He opened the door leading out of the tank, went outside, closed the door, and locked it again. He then went back into the main area, deciding to tell Wally what he needed him to do. "Wally, keep her safe, okay? If you go in there, you make sure to-" "I know, I know. We've gone over this a thousand times." Dick smirked. "Glad to see you're adjusting." Having done everything he needed to do, Dick left the building, got into the car, and drove to the Motel.

* * *

When he arrived at the motel, what he saw worried him. And what he saw was Gabriella's room door open. Growing tense, he got out of the car, walked into the open room, and found that the woman was already dead, with a bullet sized hole through her head, and a phone in her lap. He took the phone, and read a text message that would have been sent, had it not been for her death. "Hurry, señor. They are coming, soon. There is a vid-" At that part, the message was cut off. Dick took a second to examine the corpse. Her eyes were still open. "Jesus…" He murmured. He put her phone into his pocket, and decided to see if the little girl was in the room, also.

He looked all over the place, including the parking lot, but there was no sign of the girl. Fortunately, the money was still under the bed, and in the bag. He grabbed the bag, almost hesitantly, and left the motel.

* * *

When he arrived at his home, Wally was there, having seen him pull up to the place. "Dick, what happened? Did the job go wrong?" Wally questioned, as Dick made his way out of the car, and into the main area, to drown his anger in a couple bottles of liquor. "Of course it went wrong, Wally. Something always goes wrong." Dick said, as he made his way to the door leading to the main area.

"Well, if anything, it's a good thing you returned. I forgot that I left something in your trunk." Wally said to Dick, to which the latter turned around, took his keys out of his pocket, and unlocked the trunk. He then went inside. Rolling his eyes, Wally went to grab what he was looking for, which was his old uniform, back from his days as Kid Flash, and reached out to grab it. As he did, something, or two somethings in the trunk, caught his attention: a backpack fit for a kid, and a small toy ball. Instead of reaching for his costume, he grabbed the ball.

"Dick!" He shouted, trying to get the other man's attention. "DICK!" He shouted, louder this time. A few seconds later, Dick walked out of the building. "What?" He questioned. His eyes widened when he saw what was in Wally's hand. "Who does this belong to?" The younger male asked, as Dick snatched the ball from his hand, examining it. "And who's that?" Wally asked, pointing at an approaching truck, which was what Dick saw when he turned around.

Knowing full well who it was, Dick tucked the ball into the backpack. "Go. Get into the tank, now! Keep Rachel quiet. I'll deal with this." Wally hurriedly made his way to the tank, just as the truck stopped, and Daniel Sullivan hopped out. "You can turn around, asshole. This is private property." Dick said, putting up an intimidating front. "Indeed, it is. In fact, I believe it belongs to a smelting company based in Shanghai. So, where you keeping the demoness?" Sullivan questioned, walking smugly in the direction of the tank. "Maybe you hid her in there." He said, pointing at the main area. "Or there." He was now pointing toward the tank. "That'd be smart." He quickly turned around, facing Dick, and grinning like a madman. "I'd love to meet her."

Dick's anger rose, but he still tried to keep his cool. "She's been dead for over a year, now. And don't call her a demoness." He said. "Whatever you say, boss. But, demoness or not, I hear that her brain has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the HSA. Right, or wrong?" Sullivan interrogated. Dick's angry glare deepened when looking at the other man.

"It's a damn shame what happened back in Gotham City, I'll say that." The younger man sighed, clearly wishing to say something of pertinence. "Look, I don't know why I'm beating around the dick with this one. The thing is… I need the girl." Sullivan said. "What girl? There's no girl here." Dick responded calmly. "Then who did that ball belong to? You know, the one you put into a backpack? Speaking of which, who does the backpack belong to? And don't act like I didn't see you putting the thing in. Besides, I know you went to the motel." Sullivan shot back. "Yeah, I was called to the motel. But there's no girl here, and there was no girl at the motel, it was just the woman." Dick said, struggling to keep calm. "Just the woman? So as she was. So, you saw Gabriella, but you didn't call me? Now, that hurts." He said, getting up close to Dick.

"You didn't happen to kill her, didja?" He asked. "No, did you?" Dick responded. "Uh-uh-uh. I asked you first!" Sullivan said, a smirk on his face. "I don't like guns." Dick said, matter-of-factly. "Of course you don't. I forget who you were trained by, sometimes. But, in all seriousness, I wish you'd called me, Dick. You know, like I asked." Sullivan said, placing his right hand on Dick's right shoulder.

Dick automatically tried to force it off, but found that the hand was completely cybernetic. "Heh, see, there are still some folks around who have been enhanced." Sullivan grinned, twisting his 'hand' around. Suddenly, a scream of anger was heard by both men, and when Sullivan turned around to confirm his suspicions, he was hit in the head by a metal pipe. When another pipe came flying at Dick, he automatically caught it, and looked in the direction it came from. And out from behind a cannister of oil stood the same little girl that Dick had seen at the funeral, and at the motel.

 _Author's Note: Aaand there's chapter six, folks! We finally get to see Laura be a little badass. Yes, I'm keeping her name for this story, as I see no need to_ _change it. However, the power-set will be different. And I'm saving her badassery for the next couple of chapters. Stratos263, I too can see a lot of heroes in the position of Logan and Charles. Hell, I can see real people in the situation of Logan and Charles, considering the fact that Charles has dementia, and Logan takes care of him. Anyway, t_ _hank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_ _P.S, since I was out of commission for a while, I decided to post two chapters in one day._


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

Dick couldn't believe what he'd just seen. The same little girl from before, whom he had no idea had snuck into the car, had just thrown two pipes, one at Sullivan, the other at him, though with him, he was certain it wasn't to hurt him.

As he stepped forward toward the kid, Rachel ran next to her, much to Dick's surprise. "Dick, don't do anything! This is the little girl I was telling you about, earlier. This is Laura." Rachel exclaimed. The little girl eased up. "This is Laura, Dick. We've been communicating via the astral plane. Wally, get over here!" Wally, nowhere near as fast as he once was, because God-knows-what-happened to take away his powers, ran over, immediately.

"Wally, I told you to keep her in there!" Dick yelled, looking angry. "I tried to! But she still managed to get out of there." Wally said, in an attempt to explain himself. "Laura, we've been waiting for you. Well, correction, I've been waiting for you, but still! Come inside! You're safe now, and you can stay with us!" Rachel said, talking with obvious compassion and excitement. The little girl, Laura, went to grab the bag that Dick had in his hands. Or rather, she pried it from his grasp, and went over to Rachel, whom she walked inside with.

Wally walked over to Dick, who was examining the unconscious body of Sullivan on the ground. "He looks like a bounty hunter, maybe even ex-military." In response to this, Dick took out the card that Sullivan had given him in their last excursion, and gave it to Wally. After taking a look at what the card said, Wally's eyes widened. "Holy shit." He said, in a low voice. "Is he alone?" He then asked, looking at Dick. "Not for long. Take him in his truck to the ditch, and dump him there. I'll get Rachel and the kid ready to leave, and then we'll come and pick you up." Dick said. "But what if he wakes up?" Wally questioned, to which Dick gave Sullivan a hard kick to the rib cage, knocking him out further. "Text us where you are. We'll come get you."

After helping Wally get the unconscious Sullivan into the truck he came in, Dick went back inside, and found Laura eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, as Rachel watched intently. Dick then realized that it was time for Rachel to take her pills. He took out the bottle from his pocket. "Rach, it's time for you to-" He began, only to be interrupted by Rachel, who snatched the bottle from his hand. "I know, I know." She then opened the bottle, and popped two pills into her mouth. "Listen, Dick, she's the girl I told you about. She's one of us!" She exclaimed.

Dick shook his head, sighed, and said, almost bitterly, "Rachel, there are no more people with powers. They all died out, or lost their powers, okay? Besides, what are her powers, anyway? Throwing pipes?" Rachel was clearly saddened by Dick's harsh words. "We've been communicating beforehand, remember?" Dick's patience began to wear thin. "Rachel, you haven't communicated with anyone in years, remember?"

Suddenly, the sound of a train passing was heard by all three, but only Laura tensed up, almost automatically taking a break from eating her cereal. "It-it's okay, Laura! It's just a train. Just a train." Dick sighed, relieved. " _Hopefully, it stays that way_."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wally was driving Sullivan's truck to a ditch that Dick had first noticed when they found the place. When he arrived, he got out of the truck, and began to complain to himself, as he dragged Sullivan's body out of the truck.

"'Drop the douchebag off at the dump. Take him there, and we'll pick you up'. What else do you want me to do, Dick? Get some food for the kid? Get a job? Buy you some more liquor?" Wally said to himself, mimicking Dick.

He continued rambling, until he realized that he left his phone in the truck. He went back to the front seat of the truck, and grabbed his phone. And when he got out of the truck, he saw what he and Dick feared was coming: accomplices to Sullivan.

He then heard a gun cocking, and turned his body to the right, and saw Sullivan, conscious and brandishing his gun. "You're fucked now, freak."

 _Author's Note: And that's Chapter Seven! Sorry if it's a little late, and it's a little too short. The next chapter will be longer! I promise to post sometime this week, and that I didn't update sooner! I was very busy, and didn't have much time! Stratos263, thank you, again! Laura's powers will be revealed in the next chapter, and they will be familiar to you guys! Yeah, what I have planned for Dick is stuff that will (hopefully) push him to the limit. Also, I have been pondering more ideas for stories, and I really do hope that more people will_ _comment on my other stories, especially "Interviews and Misadventures of the Scumbags". But, in the case of new story ideas, I had an idea for a Family Guy one shot called 'Brian the Getaway Driver', and maybe one for Pitch Perfect. I also was thinking of writing a prequel to this story specifically, taking place after Trouble in Tokyo and detailing what happened to the Titans, and a little bit about the Justice League, but not really. It would mostly be inspired by a certain part of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Come on, you know what scene I'm talking about. Honestly, I don't know what to do, so tell me what you guys think! Anyway, th_ _ank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_

 _P.S, even though I know I'm a little late on this, I am aware of what happened in Manchester, and I want to say that my heart goes out to anyone who was lost in the bombing or related to someone in the bombing, and I encourage you all to remain positive and safe after this terrible tragedy._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The sound of incoming vehicles made its way to Dick's ears. He stopped packing essentials for the road, and looked out the window of his room to see if his worst fears had come true, which they were. Multiple trucks, cars, and motorcycles were approaching, and all of them had people armed to the teeth riding them. He grabbed what he was packing, went over to the table, prepared to get Rachel and Laura out of there as quickly as possible.

"It-it's okay, Laura. It's just a train." Rachel tried to comfort the child, albeit while she was very confused about the situation at hand. "No, Rachel, that's not a train! Now let's get out of here!" He swept Rachel off of her feet, knowing she was too slow at this point in time to walk. "What the Hell are you doing?!" Rachel questioned, to which Dick ignored her, and carried Rachel out of the building, without even bothering to look at Laura.

As soon as they made it outside, Dick strapped Rachel into the car, got whatever he packed into the trunk, and prepared to drive away. "But Dick! What about the girl?!" Rachel protested, as Dick put got in, and began to drive. "She's not our problem, Rachel!" He began to drive away, in the hopes that they could find Wally before they left, but the car was blocked by two trucks getting in the way. "Fuck, FUCK!" Dick exclaimed. He then tried to back out, but found that more trucks were already blocking the back, as well, one of them with Sullivan in the passenger seat.

Almost immediately, Sullivan got out of the car he was in, and walked toward the car. When he got there, he looked through one of the windows at Rachel, and smugly grinned. "Dead for a year, you said? Pleasure to meet you, Raven." Raven's face grew angry. "Go stick your hands in a blender, you piece of redneck shit." She spat out, agitated. Sullivan laughed, as Dick got out of the car, this time with his bo-staff at the ready. When he got out, the enforcers that Sullivan brought with him trained their weapons on him. "So, you were lying to me after all. Now that really hurts." Sullivan said, faking a hurt feeling. "What the fuck do you want? Where's Wally, asshole?" Dick asked, growing increasingly angry. "Well, y'see, I left him in the same ditch you was gonna leave me in, sooo…"

That did it for Dick. Without regard for his own safety, he took out his bo staff, prepared to beat Sullivan to a pulp, only to be hit in the head with the butt of a shotgun by one of the enforcers, and be further beaten to the ground by other enforcers. "It's a damn shame to see you like this, Robin. Just breaks my heart, completely." Sullivan said, almost genuinely sad to see Dick in the state he was in. "How about I see what it looks like when I tear it from your chest, ass-" Dick began to say, only before getting kicked in the face by an enforcer. "Heh. Yeah, you wish you'd do that, dontcha?" Sullivan mockingly said to a half conscious Dick.

Getting back to business, Sullivan pointed towards the main building of the area. "Go get the girl." He said to four enforcers. "But sir, what about the old man and the demoness?" Asked an enforcer with two prosthetic arms and a robotic eye. Sullivan smirked, and said, "We'll deal with these two pathetic fuckers, later."

* * *

Laura watched the enforcers entered the building on a surveillance camera, as she calmly ate her cereal. When she heard the footsteps of one of them, and heard him prepare a pair of handcuffs made specially for her. Then, she turned around, and glared at him, completely ready for what she knew she had to do.

* * *

As the rest of the enforcers waited outside, their waiting was interrupted by the sounds of their men screaming. This was enough to fully wake Dick up from his near unconsciousness. Sullivan knew what was happening, and he made a motion for all of the enforcers to ready their weapons. Finally, Laura came out of the building, with her backpack on, and while she was carrying something. "Hey, Laura. How's it going?" Sullivan said, calmly. Unresponsive to his words, Laura threw whatever it was that she was holding at Sullivan. Much to Dick and Rachel's shock and surprise, what she was holding was a head. The head of one of the enforcers who went inside to get her.

Then, she dropped her bag to the ground, and kept walking. "Laura… LAURA!" Sullivan attempted to stop her, but his attempts were in vain, as a green bolt of energy began to come out of her hand. "Laura… no… NO… NO." Sullivan commanded. Both Dick and Rachel, especially Dick, stared in complete horror at what they were seeing. "It can't be…" Dick thought to himself. Laura blasted a starbolt at an enforcer, yelling at the same time, which killed and ripped off the limbs of two other enforcers. Then, many other enforcers began shooting at her, so she gripped her bag, and began to run back into the main building, as Sullivan urged all of the men to not shoot. "STOP FUCKING SHOOTING! She heals, remember?! Go and get her out of there, now! GO, GO!"

As the men ran hesitantly into the building, their guns cocked, Dick could only stare in shock and amazement, and mutter two words: "Holy fuck."

* * *

As the enforcers entered the building, they searched desperately for the unstoppable force of nature they were tasked with going up against, and they were all terrified. Suddenly, something was heard being smashed on the ground in the boiler room, which prompted one of the enforcers to check it out. When he saw that it was just a can, he began to wonder where it came from, only to hear an ear-piercing yell, and turn around too late, as he was attacked from above by Laura, who used a starbolt to blast his brains directly out of his skull.

As soon as someone heard this and found her, he began shooting at her, which prompted Laura to duck for cover, as the enforcers continued searching the room. When two of them were standing side by side, she slid up behind one of them, blasted his knee, and then his face, and put a starbolt through the other's back, immediately killing him. After that, she heard the sound of more enforcers making their way to her location. In a hurry to make her next move, she searched the boiler room for an easy escape, which came in the form of a barely opened garage door just big enough for her to slide through.

* * *

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Sullivan cocked a specially designed rifle, and went off to find the girl. Seeing this as an opportunity, especially since no one was there to stop him, Dick got up from the ground, and started to get into the car, only to be stopped by the sound of Laura screaming. While he initially didn't care about what happened to her, he knew that Rachel wouldn't forgive him if he left her behind, and, after locking the car so that no one could get in, went to help her, running as fast as he could.

Laura was pinned to a wall by an enforcer with the physique of a bodybuilder, who was currently trying to cuff her. Then, she blasted his groin, jumped over him and onto his back, and snapped his neck, knocking him to the ground immediately. At that same moment, she was shot through the back with some kind of harpoon, which Sullivan began dragging her back with by reeling her in with his gun. As soon as she was close to him, two enforcers prepared to cuff her, only for the one holding the cuffs to be stopped by Dick hitting him with his bo staff, and continuing to do so, as Laura ripped off the head of the enforcer, and began attacking others that were coming at her from all angles.

As he got finished beating down on three enforcers using his hands and his bo-staff, Dick saw that they were now attempting to break into the car. "No!" He yelled, and began running to the car.

After killing another enforcer, Laura saw Dick running to the car, and beating all of the enforcers that were trying to break in, one of them to a bloody pulp. She then saw him get into the car, and begin to drive the car. She ran towards the car, which was driving at full speed in her direction, and jumped onto the hood as soon as it was about to hit her. Dick stopped the car, and yelled out the window, "Get in through the sunroof!" She did what he said, got in, and buckled up, as Dick began driving again. "She's like you, Dick. She's just like you and Kori." Rachel exclaimed, joyously.

Dick drove out onto the grass, and prepared to do something he was certain would work. "Hang on, guys!" He said, as he drove directly toward the fence surrounding the area. As all three braced for impact, when the car collided with the fence, it didn't work like Dick thought it would, as the fence was built completely solid, stopping the car from driving through it. "Any more bright ideas, Birdbrain?" Rachel said, sarcastically. An irritated Dick looked back at her, and said, "I've got a few."

He put the car into reverse, turned it a little bit, put it back into drive, and drove for the exit. While the action was successful, they were still followed by Sullivan's enforcers, who were now on motorcycles. One of them began shooting at Laura and Rachel through one of the windows, which gave Laura the chance to blast him with her starbolt, knocking him off the motorcycle, to roll around on the ground until his body was motionless. She then blasted through the other window at the other enforcer, and did the same thing to him that she did to his buddy.

Sullivan got onto a vehicle with a heavily loaded assault rifle attached to the top. "START DRIVING!" He yelled. As they began driving, he aimed the weapon at Dick's Mustang, and fired away. Laura saw this, and blasted whatever was coming toward the car.

"Dick, they're on our asses! There's no way out!" Rachel exclaimed. Then, both heard the sound of a train coming from the left side. "Dick, please, don't-" Rachel began to protest, but this didn't stop Dick, as he drove at maximum speed, as the train came closer and closer, until they drove over the tracks, and were nearly hit by the train themselves. Then, as soon as the car was on the other side of the tracks, both Dick and Laura turned around to see if Sullivan or any of his enforcers had made it across as well. Fortunately, they hadn't. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get away, Dick put his foot to the pedal, and kept driving, until they were completely out of sight, leaving Sullivan to only glare at his enforcers for their failure, even though he knew that the only one he had to blame was himself.

 _Author's Note: Wow, that was a hard, long chapter to write! You guys are lucky I wanted to give you a good action scene, and I hope that this will satisfy that! Stratos263, thank you again for commenting! I'm debating what to do with Wally, as I'm unsure if I want him to face the same fate as Caliban or not. The next chapter will definitely calm things down a bit, and I'm still debating what my next project should be. Anyways, thank you for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

After five hours of driving, Dick pulled the damaged, shot at, and nearly-destroyed car up to a small gas station. He pulled out Gabriella's phone, which he had in his pocket the entire time, turned it on, and looked at the almost finished text message, with Rachel looking over his shoulder. "It says that there's a video, doesn't it?" He asked to no one. "No shit, Sherlock." Raven responded. Dick was somewhat happy to see a glimmer of who Raven once was.

He clicked on the camera, and saw a recent recording of Gabriella. He clicked on the video, and it began playing. "If you are watching this, then it means that I am dead." Dick frowned when he heard this. "My name is Gabriella Lopez. I used to work for a corporation called H.I.V.E. What I saw during my employment there was more disturbing than you can imagine. I saw… children being abused, tortured, and made into living weapons. Assassins." Dick and Rachel looked at one another, disturbed at the thought of what Gabriella had described in the video happening again and again. "They were genetically designed to have the powers of former heroes, specifically the Teen-" Then, the video cut off, as the phone died.

"Shit!" Dick exclaimed, putting the phone back into his suit-coat pocket. He then looked at Laura, who was riding a mechanical pony next to the gas station. "So, North Dakota. You took that woman's money, right?" Rachel asked. Dick nodded his head. "We should take the girl there, then." She continued. After watching Laura's ride come to a stop, and her beginning to shake the coin machine, Dick asked, "Rachel… who is she?" Rachel sighed, and said, "She's Kori's daughter, Dick. And she's your daughter, too."

Dick's heart began to sink when he heard this, and he began to get out of the car. "That must mean that they have her genetic code, Vic's genetic code, Gar's genetic code, maybe even our genetic codes." Rachel explained. "Not just ours." Dick said, without looking back at Rachel. "Dick.." She began, only to be interrupted by Dick saying, "I don't wanna talk about it." As he continued to get out of the car, Rachel tried to talk to him again. "Dick…" She began again. "JUST STOP! Alright?" He said, harshly. "DICK!" She shouted. "What?!" He said, clearly agitated. "I have to pee." Rachel said, smiling sheepishly.

* * *

As he helped Rachel into the gas station, as she walked with a cane that she often used to walk when she wasn't in bed in her tank, he noticed that Laura readied a starbolt as a means of starting up the mechanical pony, to which he quickly came over, pulled out a quarter, and put it in. "Last ride, kid. You're welcome." He said, with a semblance of a smile. Then, he continued helping Rachel into the gas station bathroom, until they finally got to the bathroom door. As she slowly walked through the door, she turned back, and said, "Don't you dare even think about coming in with me." Then, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Knowing very well how long it could take Rachel to use the bathroom, he decided to check on Laura. When he made his way outside, however, he found that she was gone.

* * *

Laura was inside the gas station, near the cash register, where all the snack foods and beverages were. She had never seen so much food in her life, not even at the places she had stayed at for the past couple of weeks. She grabbed a can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, opened it, and began munching on them. Then, she grabbed a can of Sprite, popped it open, and began to drink slowly, taking in the sweet taste that she had never experienced before. She grabbed a bag of Skittles next, as a little surprise for Rachel and Dick that could be a sweet treat for the long drive. And the last thing she had her eye on was a pair of blue and pink Shopkins sunglasses. She grabbed the pair, put them over her eyes, and admired herself in the mirror, as she continued to eat from the Pringles can.

Then, she heard a voice that had to be talking to her. "Hello." She turned around, and saw a young woman with obviously dyed hair looking directly at her. "Uh, you know you gotta pay for that, right?" Hearing this, she started running away, only for the girl, who she assumed was the cashier, get in front of her. "Kid, where's your Mom and Dad?" She questioned. Laura was completely unresponsive to his question. "Alright, come on. Give 'em up." She said, as she began to grab the items that Laura had planned on stealing. Then, when she tried to grab the bag of Skittles, Laura grabbed the cashier's arm, flipped her over and onto the ground, screamed her signature scream, and readied a starbolt, as the cashier looked at her in fear.

Thankfully for both Laura and the cashier, Dick's hand grabbed her left arm, making her turn around and face him. "NOT. OKAY!" He said, sternly. Then, he looked down at the cashier, offered her a hand, and helped her up to the ground. "I am so sorry for my daughter's behavior. Uh, do you sell phone chargers?" He said, sincerely apologetic. "Uh, yeah, right by the gummy candies on the counter. Also, don't I know you from somewhere?" The cashier asked as she pointed to the chargers. When Dick went to grab a phone charger, he bluntly said, "No." Then, he pulled out his wallet, put the money next to the cash register, and left, with Laura's arm still in his grasp.

* * *

Five hours later, when they arrived near Oklahoma City, Dick noticed that Gabriella's phone was fully charged. He put on his glasses, and continued watching the video. "-Titans. They are using whatever form of DNA from the original Teen Titans to make these children into their own slaves. They have no real parents, and were grown in the bellies of young Mexican girls. Those girls are no longer seen. I have other footage of my time at H.I.V.E, if you wish to know more. What you really need to know is that I read about a place in North Dakota called Eden. So, I decided to free as many children as possible, and got them out of that horrible place. While there was money in the bag, the part about there being 50000 dollars inside was a lie. It was mostly small bills. And Laura... while she does not belong to me, I still love her, and, though you may not love her, she is still your child, and I am begging you to take her to Eden. Please." And then, the video ended.

Curious as to what was going on at H.I.V.E, Dick pulled up the other videos. He saw children, most of them younger than or the same age that he was when he first started the Titans, being experimented on, brutalized, tested, and treated with absolute cruelty. He even saw a video where one of the children jumped off the roof of the H.I.V.E building. But the most painful one to watch was a video where Laura repeatedly blasted her arm with a starbolt, only for it to heal afterwards. The one video that gave him some hope was the video where Gabriella freed as many children as she could from the awful place, as well as the children using their powers to fight back.

Disgusted and horrified by what he had seen, Dick turned off the phone, and looked back to see a sleeping Rachel and Laura in the backseat. After half-smiling at the sight of it, he took the car out of park, and began to drive into the city, unsure of what to do next.

 _Author's Note: So, we finally got to learn a little about Laura's backstory and where she came from! Stratos263, thank you again for your review, and I plan on showing a more vulnerable side to Laura in contrast to Dick and Kori, despite her having quite a bit of strength. The next chapter will probably be a shorter length, and it'll focus more on Wally as a character and what happens to him during his capture. Anyway, t_ _hank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_

 _P.S, in the last chapter, there was a reference to a scene from Spider-Man 2, which came out about a year after the original Teen Titans aired. If you can spot it, good luck! If you already have, good work, you have quite a good eye for spotting references!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

To say that Wally West was nervous at the moment was a complete and utter understatement. He was terrified, as he was bound to a chair, with a bag over his head. " _What the Hell is happening? Are Dick, Rachel, and the kid alright? Hell, am I alright?_ " He thought to himself, before he heard a door open, and was suddenly dragged off, God knows where.

When they people dragging him stopped, someone pulled the bag off his head, and Wally saw who it was. Daniel Sullivan, the same bastard who had shot him in the arm twice, and who dragged him back to wherever they currently were.

"You know, I read about you when I was a kid. Back in '08." Sullivan said, smirking. "If you're trying to flatter me, especially after you shot me, you're nuts." Wally retorted, which earned him a firm punch in the face from Sullivan. Wally began to spit out blood, and a few teeth, as Sullivan began to talk again.

"You see, I don't wanna hurt you, Flash Jr, but you're not gonna make things any easier by talking shit. So, here's the deal: I need to find that girl. The one who your fearless leader and his freakshow friend are helping. And I figured that, since you know Robin so well, and you know where he's going, you could help us find him! So, what do ya say, pal? You up for a little cooperation?" He asked, smiling. Wally looked up at Sullivan, and said, through gritted teeth, "Go fuck yourself, pretty boy."

Sullivan sighed. "I wish you didn't say that, FJ. Gentleman, you know what to do." Then, the two men who dragged Wally to the room they were in grabbed him yet again, only this time, they put him in a chair, and began strapping him in. "Wait, what the Hell are you doing to me?" Wally said, as they finished strapping him in. "Well, y'see, I read up on what the clown would do for fun, and, well, considering he was one of the most dangerous people to ever live, why not take a few methods from him?" Sullivan said.

Then, he went over to a switch, placed his hand on it, and said to Wally, "Did the old man ever tell you to 'beware the light'? Because, he should have." And with that, he pulled the switch, sending electricity into Wally's body. As Wally screamed in agony, Sullivan grinned maliciously.

When the first shock was done, Sullivan went over to Wally. "Hey, you still with me, buddy? You wanna help out, now? I mean, you're not stupid, Wally. You're smart enough to choose the right side, right?" He asked, with an intentionally sadistic tone in his voice. Wally looked up, and said, "Go… to… HELL!" Sullivan smirked, went back over to the switch, and said, "Well then… BACK TO IT!" And pulled it, again.

As Wally screamed out, Sullivan continued to talk. "You know, you could end all this pain, if you just agree to a little cooperation. So, you wanna give in and help, or do you wanna keep playing games? I mean, one more shock, and you're done for." When the shock was over, Wally spit some blood at Sullivan, who responded in kind by slashing at Wally's abdomen, making him cry out in pain. "Think about it, Wally. The girl ain't worth shit, trust me. Now, she's not a natural fuckup, not like you, of course, she's a mistake, and we don't want her to hurt anyone else. And, from the looks of it, you're in no position to do anything but cooperate, understand?" Sullivan questioned, to which Wally slowly nodded his head, making Sullivan grin. "Good. I'm glad we came to an understanding. Gentleman, get him patched up, then put him back in his cage." Sullivan said, as the two guards complied.

When Wally and the guards were out of sight, Sullivan thought of how many people Laura had killed in one day, and was worried as to how many more she could kill in the coming days.

 _Author's Note: Well, this one was long overdue! Sorry for the delay, I was pretty busy and wanted to focus on other stories, and the chapter being a little too short. Stratos263, thank you again for reviewing! Also, if you think that H.I.V.E. is brutal in the last chapter or this one,_ _wait until you see what they do later in the story!_ _Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

Laura woke up to the sight of bright, flashing neon lights. She looked through her window, and saw buildings, big and small, apartments, and restaurants, as Dick drove the car through downtown Oklahoma. Rachel also woke up, and looked at Laura. When she saw what the young girl was doing, she smiled, and admired the child's curiousity.

Dick drove the car up to a hotel, and ushered Rachel and Laura out of the car. With all of them got out of the car, Dick helped Rachel walk into the hotel, only to stop to talk to the valet. "Keep it parked." He said bluntly to the appalled valet, who stood staring at the state of such a nice car.

The three entered the hotel, which had an arcade, all kinds of restaurants, a bar, which Dick would be paying a visit later, and a casino, among other thing.

As Dick ordered a suite for him, Rachel, and Laura to stay in, Laura looked around at the hotel. Growing up in a lab, you don't generally get to know what a hotel looks like. She was amazed at the things around her, the men and women gambling money at the casino, the old man guzzling beer, the kids playing Batman: Arkham Knight using virtual reality headsets, and, especially, the family that was celebrating their daughter's birthday.

When Dick got the keys to the hotel room, he attempted to help Rachel walk, who pushed his hand away. "I'm not crippled, Dick. I can walk. I just have a hard time walking." She said to him. Dick nodded his head at Rachel, and allowed her to walk, despite how slow she was.

As the three made their way to the elevator, which would take them to the seventh floor, Laura stopped and noticed some nice clothing on display, and for sale, no less. Dick noticed this, and said, "Laura, come on." But Laura didn't move. "Come on, Dick. I mean, we do need clothes, after all." Rachel said, to Dick.

So, Dick bought the clothes, and finally got Laura and Rachel into the elevator, which took them to the seventh floor. They made their way into the room, Room 719, and Laura, curious, as usual, admired its decor, the queen sized bed, the wide screen TV, and the view of Downtown Oklahoma.

Rachel yawned, and crawled into the bed. Dick chuckled, as she quickly fell to sleep. Then, he looked at the young girl, Kori's daughter, as she laid down on the floor. " _Well, at least now I can go and get a few drinks._ "

After spending an hour-and-a-half at the bar, and three glasses of Moonshine, Dick stumbled up to the hotel room, and fell asleep on the chair.

* * *

Meanwhile, at six in the morning, back at the gas station where Dick, Rachel, and Laura stopped, Sullivan and a group of enforcers, along with Wally, arrived. Sullivan and five of his men went inside, alarming the manager. "Hey! We're not open, yet!" He said, until Sullivan made a gesture telling him to be quiet, as an enforcer walked over to the manager, and cracked his knuckles.

Wally heard screaming from within the building, and automatically became alarmed. Then, he saw Sullivan and his enforcers walk out of the building, fresh blood on their hands, and back into their trucks.

As Sullivan got into the truck Wally was in, Wally asked, "Tell me something, Sullivan. If I'm so much of a help to you capturing the girl, why haven't I done anything remotely useful, yet?" He questioned. Sullivan chuckled darkly, and turned to Wally.

"See, the thing is Wally, we could find her on our own. Hell, we got people trained to do that. The truth is, I just like having someone to hit. That, and I know you won't tell us what we want." He said, before closing the truck's backdoor, and giving the signal for the driver to continue driving.

* * *

Back in Oklahoma, Dick woke up to his phone's alarm clock, which was set for 8:30, and discovered that he had slept in until 11. After making sure that Laura and Rachel were dressed, with Laura wearing a jean jacket, blue jeans, and a blue T-shirt, and Rachel in a black long sleeve and gray jeans, he went into the bathroom. After taking a long, hot shower, he got dressed himself. He put on dark blue jeans, a gray undershirt, and a brown jacket.

When he finished getting dressed in the bathroom, he noticed Laura's bag on the floor. " _Must have brought it in because she had her clothes in there._ " He thought to himself. Then, he picked up the bag, opened it, and found the same comic books he found in Gabriella's room back at the motel.

He looked at a few of them, and scoffed at most of their content, which ranged from the Titans battling the Joker, who was a wacky character making bad jokes, to fighting Slade, who was nothing more than a lunatic making bad puns, and trying to take over the world.

But one that really caught his eye was an issue detailing 'the marriage of Robin and Starfire'. He looked through the comic, which told the story of exactly what it said on the cover. And, unsurprisingly to Dick, it was as romanticized and cliche as he expected.

When he came out into the living room, he found Laura and Rachel watching a movie on the TV. The movie was Shane, an old western about a gunslinger being dragged back into the fight for one last ride.

"I remember seeing this movie for its 50th anniversary with the other Titans, back in Jump City, at the Murimaki Theater. Garfield dragged us to see it, because he watched it when he was a kid. Look, watch!" Rachel said, pointing at the screen.

Laura and Rachel watched as Shane, the gunslinger, told Joey, the young boy in the film, "A man is what he is, Joey. Can't break the mold. I tried it, and it didn't work for me." Dick walked over to Laura, holding the comic books in his hand.

"You read these?" He asked, as Rachel paused the TV, and Laura nodded her head. "Oh yeah, Rachel. Lookie here, we've got ourselves a Teen Titans fan." He said, sarcastically, as Laura scowled at the ground. "Maybe a quarter of this stuff happened, but not like this." He continued, as he began looking through the comic about his and Kori's wedding, which never happened, before throwing it at Rachel, who caught it. "You know they're all bullshit, right? Because in the real world, people die. And no self-promoting asshole in a fucking leotard can do anything to stop it!" He spitefully said to Laura.

"Dick." Rachel said calmly, in an attempt to calm him down. "This bullshit is ice cream for bed wetters." He continued. "Dick." Rachel said again. "What? Her nurse friend has been feeding her some grade-A+ bullshit, and you don't think she deserves to know?" He asked Rachel.

"Dick, I don't think that Laura needs to be reminded about how horrible life is, do you?" Rachel asked. Dick pulled out the medicine bag, grabbed Rachel's pills and the needles, and handed them to Laura.

"Give two of these to her in an hour, okay? The pills are to help with the seizures, the needles are supposed to stop them. Unless she has a seizure, which, most likely, won't happen, move as fast as you can to get a needle in her, alright? I'll be back, soon." Dick said, as he turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked. "To get us a new pair of wheels. It's not like the car we have now is in good condition." He responded, before exiting the room, with 10000 dollars in his wallet.

Rachel unpaused the movie. "Joey, there's no living with a killing. There's no going back from one. Right or wrong, it's a brand. A brand sticks. Now you run on home to your Mother, and tell her everything's alright." The titular character of Shane continued, as Laura watched intently.

* * *

Dick drove to an area where there were a couple of homeless guys hanging out, and he basically gave the car to them for free, but only after grabbing everything from the car, which included the comic books, which he brought along for further examination, and the gun that he kept with him.

He then walked to a car dealership, where he argued with the manager over the expensive price of a blue Ram truck, which was currently at $8995. "Tell you what. Eight grand, I'll have her freshly painted for you, new tires, mounted, balanced, and complete paperwork." She attempted to bargain.

"I'll give you ten, as is, if you can forget the paperwork." He said, holding out the wad of cash he took from the hotel. "Fine, but you still need new tires." The manager said, after taking a smoke. "And how long will that take?" He asked. "About an hour." She said. Dick turned his head to a bar across the street, and turned back to face the manager, saying, "Deal."

Dick walked over to the bar, and ordered a beer. As he drank, he looked through the comics. Then, when he was looking through one of the comics, he saw a title that caught his eye: 'Eden, or The End?'

Dick nearly choked on his beer, before turning the page, and noticing a panel of the comic showing the coordinates for Eden. He pulled out the envelope that contained the money for him, and saw the exact same coordinates as the one in the comic: 48.970333-162.155491. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."

* * *

Dick immediately payed for his beer, and left the bar. The hour long wait was over, meaning that he could get the car, which he did, and he drove back to the hotel, as quick as he could. When he got out of the car, he payed the valet to park the car, but didn't bother giving him the keys.

As he made his way toward the hotel's front door, he noticed two enforcers standing nearby. "Oh, shit!" He muttered under his breath.

He started making his way around the enforcers, so that they wouldn't discover him, but, as he made his way to the front door, his ears began ringing, the ground began rumbling, and he felt like he was about to shatter into a million pieces. Suddenly, all time essentially stopped. "Oh, no. Not now, Rachel."

 _Author's Note: And there's Chapter Eleven! Sorry it took so long, I've been busy with finals! But, I was let out of school today, and I'm practically free all summer! Stratos263, thanks again for commenting! Yeah, I wouldn't wanna be Wally in this situation, either, especially considering how Sullivan basically said he's just keeping Wally around for the Hell of it. AraelDranoth, love the name, by the way, thank you for the feedback! I took_ _what you said to heart, and decided to do what you suggested a little bit more! I hope this satisfied you! Anyway, t_ _hank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

Dick pulled out a needle for himself. Something that Ryan had given to him in case of a situation like the one he was in, now. It was a needle that would allow him to move quicker through Rachel's seizures. And, considering that he needed to do just that, he stuck the needle into his right wrist.

As soon as the needle was pushed into his flesh, Dick began to make his way through the hotel's entrance. As he walked through, he saw multiple people standing around, frozen, their minds slowly being torn apart. " _No. I can't let this happen, again._ " He thought to himself.

Eventually, Dick made it to the elevator, pressed the button that would open it, and got in. He automatically clicked the button for the seventh floor. As the elevator slowly ascended, he could only worry about Rachel killing everybody if he didn't get to the room in time. "Come on, come on." He muttered to himself.

When the elevator finally stopped and opened its doors, Dick slowly made his way out, and saw an enforcer positioned outside of the room.

Knowing full well that there were already more in the room, he took out his bo-staff, and used it as a cane of sorts, as he struggled to get to the room.

When he was in close contact with the enforcer outside of the room, Dick took his bo-staff, and connected it with the enforcer's face, knocking him to the ground, slowly.

He made his way into the room, and saw four other enforcers, all standing in place, Laura, on the ground, with a needle in her hand, and Rachel, on the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

Dick made his way over to Laura, and took out the enforcer who had his gun pointing at her. Then, he bent down, and grabbed the needle from her hand.

Then, he made his way over to Rachel, and used his bo-staff to knock out the two other guards standing over her. He took the needle, and, as quickly as possible, moved the hand that held the needle towards Rachel's neck. Then, he slowly plunged the needle in, and, suddenly, time returned to its natural speed.

The enforcers that Dick knocked out, who were slowly falling to the ground beforehand, fell to the floor, completely unconscious. Even the enforcer who Dick didn't take out fell down. However, he was still conscious. Laura took notice of this, jumped onto him, and screamed as she blasted a hole through his heart.

As Dick panted, Laura went over to Rachel, who outstretched her hand. Laura took it, and held it. "Are you alright?" The empath asked. Laura nodded her head.

Dick then saw something attached to one of the enforcers: it was some kind of camera. He grabbed it, and realized what it meant. It meant that Sullivan had found them. "Oh, shit!" He said, before smashing the camera, and looking out the window.

In a van downstairs, Sullivan was gasping for air, unsure of what he had just felt. Wally was also gasping for air, fully aware of what had just happened. He looked in desperation as Dick smashed the camera. " _Get away from here, Dick._ " He thought to himself.

Dick turned to Rachel, whom Laura had helped up. "We gotta get out of here. Grab whatever you guys brought up." He said, before he and Laura started grabbing the things that they had with them in the room, leaving Rachel to stand next to the door.

As soon as they got what they needed, Dick and Laura helped Rachel walk, and made their way to the elevator. When they got in, Dick pressed the button for the lobby, and they made their way down.

When they got to the lobby, they moved as quickly as possible, so to avoid looking at the people that were on the floor, in pain. "I'm sorry. I'm… I'm so sorry!" Rachel said, with her eyes closed, as tears ran down her cheeks.

When they made their way out of the building, Dick and Laura situated Rachel into the back seat of the truck Dick just got. After that, they got into the front seat, and Dick began to drive off.

* * *

Sullivan stumbled out of the truck he was in, and tried to see if he could find any sign of Dick, or Rachel, or Laura. But he found nothing. All that he saw was the destruction and chaos caused by Rachel's seizure.

It was as if all Hell broke loose. People were on the floor, groaning in pain, and gasping for air. Cars had crashed into other cars. And he still had failed to find the girl.

 _Author's Note: Stratos263, you finally got to see what it's like when Rachel has one Hell of a seizure! The last time, Dick was in close proximity. This time, he had to muster up some more strength, despite having that serum that helps him move through the seizure. The next chapter will definitely be longer, and it'll also delve a little more into the past. Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, as they were on the road, still somewhere in Oklahoma, the radio was on. The newscaster reported, "Emergency personnel are still on scene at Harrah's Casino Hotel in Oklahoma City, where at least 400 guests were stricken with temporary paralysis yesterday. Many are noting a similarity to the Gotham City incident back in 2008, which took the lives of over 600 people, including several members of the Tee-" Dick immediately turned off the radio at that point.

Meanwhile, Laura kept pressing the unlock/lock button for the door of the car. She had been doing it for an hour, and Dick was getting annoyed. "Okay, Laura. Stop it." He said to her, but she kept on pressing the button.

"Laura, that's enough." Dick repeated to her, to which she responded by looking at him, with her sunglasses still on, as if she was daring him to make her stop.

"Dick, leave her be." Rachel said, in an attempt to reason with the exhausted man. "Okay. How about we talk about what happened yesterday? Hmm? Remember, back at the hotel? You know, if that shit had gone on any longer, all of those guests would have been dead!" Dick retorted.

"Oh, shut up. I did what I had to do to save Laura." Rachel said, looking out the window. "No, you didn't do anything resembling that! What you did was you freaked out, and you had a fucking seizure!" Dick yelled at her.

"Of course! Of course! Dick Grayson, always blaming everyone else for his boring shit. I guess you prefer me pharmaceutically spayed, like I'm a fucking dog. So much easier for you!" Rachel said, sarcastically.

"Easier? EASIER?! Jesus, there is nothing easy about you, Rachel, nothing!" Dick spat back. "Look, everyone! Exhibit A! Dick Grayson hasn't changed a bit."

Dick rolled his eyes, and averted his attention to the road. "Do you honestly derive no sense of purpose from what we're doing?" Rachel asked. "Okay, Rach. You tell me: what are we doing?" He snarled at the empath.

"There is a young girl, who is just like someone that we used to know, someone you were close to, sitting in our car, in a world where people with those kinds of abilities have died out. And where we're taking her, there's other kids just like her! Does that mean absolutely nothing to you?" She asked, in earnest. "Um, let's see… yeah, that means absolutely nothing to me. Especially since her nurse friend made all that bullshit up about 'Eden' with fucking comic books." Dick said to her. "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"When was the last time you took your pills?" He asked. "I don't know!" Rachel responded, only to silently say, "Two days." This prompted Dick to take out the pill bottle, and give it to Laura.

"You know what to do." He said, reverting his attention back to the road. Laura took out two pills, and handed them to Rachel. "Dick, Dick!" She protested, until Laura held out the pills, which Rachel promptly took, and popped into her mouth. After that, she immediately gulped down some water from her water bottle.

"Let me see them!" Dick said, looking back at Rachel, who, in response, held her mouth open, and stuck her tongue out at the man.

* * *

Back in Oklahoma City, Wally observed as multiple cars, containing more of Sullivan's men, and helicopters arrived. He noticed one helicopter in particular, which was painted gray and black, in contrast to the black and green helicopters that had carried all of the other men.

Out of the helicopter came a man in a doctor's coat, wearing sunglasses, whom Sullivan went up to greet. "Dr. Rice! Everything is under control!" The two continued talking, until the good doctor went into the van that Wally was in, and tapped on his cage. "Hello, Mr. West."

* * *

As Dick was driving, both Laura and Rachel noticed an African American family who were trying to horses back into their truck's carrier, which was currently stuck in a ditch, along with the truck. "They have to be farmers, why else would they have horses?" Rachel thought to herself.

She tapped Dick on the shoulder. "Dick, we have to help that family." She said to him. "What family?" He asked, his eyes on the road. "The family that are trying to get their horses back into their truck." Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "Rachel, they aren't our problem. Besides, somebody will eventually help them." He bluntly said. "Yeah, those somebodies could be us." She said, looking longingly at Dick, then at the family.

Dick sighed, knowing that there was an argument coming up that he didn't want to have with Rachel. So, he got out of the car, and went over to the middle aged man who was trying to get a horse into the truck. Laura followed suit. "Do you need a little help?" Dick asked. "Yes, please. We could use it." The man said.

So, Dick helped the man get the five horses back into the truck. It took some time, some coaxing, and some frustration, but, thankfully, Dick was no stranger to horses. He remembered how, when he was a young boy, still a member of the Flying Graysons, he was allowed to pet the horses that were used for tricks, how they seemed so free and happy, in spite of the fact that they were anything but free.

Once Dick and the man loaded the last horse into the truck, the man closed the truck's back door, and sighed. "Thank you for your help, mister." He said. Dick smiled, and said, "It was nothing. Uh, do you need help getting your truck out of the ditch?" The man said, "Yes, please. We could use the help."

"Okay. On the count of three." Dick said, as he and the man prepared to push the car out of the ditch, and the man's wife readied the car. "One, two, three!" The man said, before he and Dick pushed the car with all their strength, and the man's wife put the car in reverse. Eventually, the car got out of the ditch.

The man's wife and son got out of the truck. "I'm Will Munson. That's my wife, Kathryn, and my son, Nate." The man, Will, introduced himself. He also shook Dick's hand. "It's good to meet you all. I'm Dick Grayson, the girl who's interested in your horses is my daughter, Laura. The other woman is my sister, Rachel." He said, as Rachel looked out the window and waved, awkwardly.

As Laura petted one of the horses through the gaps in the carrier, Dick said, "Come on, Laura! Let's go." Laura looked at the man, and began walking toward him. "Well, can we show our appreciation and treat the three of you to a decent meal?" Kathryn asked. "Yeah, we don't live too far from here." The son, Nate, added. "Oh, thank you, but we're-" Dick started, before Rachel interrupted with, "That would be nice! Thank you!"

Dick looked back at Rachel, shook his head, and turned back to face the Munson family. "Alright. We accept your offer."

* * *

"My name is Dr. Rice. You may call me Zander, if you like. My colleague tells me you've been of no use to us. However, he still has reason to believe that you have some knowledge of where your friends are going." Dr. Rice said to Wally through his cage.

Wally looked down at the ground. "I have nothing to give you. In fact, Sullivan told me that he only keeps me around because he wants someone to beat up."

Dr. Rice sighed, and said, "I'm offering you a chance to free yourself and possibly your other friends, sans the girl, if you can tell us where they were going. Please, Wallace. You'll only bring more harm to yourself, and possibly your friends if you don't comply."

Wally looked up at the doctor. "Your colleagues are bastards. They beat the shit out of me for no reason." Dr. Rice chuckled. "I agree. The Reavers have proven ineffective, and, despite the fact that I am bringing new tools to help, I still need someone to point me in the right direction of the bigger picture in order to protect the world. Understand?"

Wally grimaced. "I can't help you." Dr. Rice frowned, but still tried to reason with Wally. "The empath. What does she have? Alzheimer's? ALS? A degenerative brain disease in one of the world's most dangerous brains? Quite the combo, don't you think?"

Wally looked away from the doctor, only to look back, and say, "North Dakota. They're going to North Dakota." The doctor's lips curled into a smile. "Thank you, Wallace."

As Dr. Rice left the truck, Wally sat back, and immediately regretted what he had just done.

* * *

The Munson's' farm was a beautiful, peaceful plot of land, with a white barn, a couple of horses munching away some hay, and a two-story, blue house. Dick admired the serene nature of the place as he, Rachel, and Laura awaited their promised meal.

"Dinner's ready!" Kathryn called from the kitchen. Dick, Rachel, and Laura made their way to the dining room table, as Kathryn brought out the meal. Will and Nate were already seated at the table.

When the trio sat down at the table, Kathryn set the food on the table, and took her seat. "You wanna say grace, Nate? You can if you want." Kathryn said to Nate. "Uh, thank you, God, for this food, and for our new friends, the Graysons." Nate said, as the others bowed their heads in prayer. "Yes, they came to our aid." Kathryn interjected. "Amen." Nate finished. The others followed him up by saying 'amen', as well.

As everyone began eating, Dick noticed that Laura was shoving mashed potatoes into her mouth… using her hands. Automatically, he handed Laura a fork, which she hastily took from him, as the Munson's stared awkwardly.

Then, she began to pile corn onto her plate, until Dick took the pot away from her. She glared at him for a moment, before putting one last plop of corn on her plate. Then, she began to eat, although like a normal kid.

"There's plenty more, if she wants." Kathryn said to Dick. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." Dick responded. "Wow. This is delicious." Rachel complimented. "Thank you, Rachel!"

"So, where are you all headed?" Will asked. Before Dick could say anything, Rachel interrupted with, "North Dakota." Dick looked at his plate. "Oh, are you going on vacation?" Kathryn asked. "Uh, yes. Long overdue." Rachel said, smiling.

"You see, we're city folk, always wanted to take a road trip, you know, see the country a little bit, maybe even meet the people in it!" Rachel continued.

"That sounds lovely. I've been trying to get Will here to take us and himself on a vacation ever since Nate was ten!" Kathryn said, playfully glaring at Will. "Kathryn, if we're gonna go wandering all over the country, who will take care of this place?" Will interjected.

"Exactly, and I say to let go of it. The Lord will provide protection over our farm." Kathryn responded in earnest. "I'm still waiting for the Lord to provide me with a new thresher." Will deadpanned, making Nate laugh.

"If it's all the same, I would love to travel someday." Kathryn said, smiling. "I bet you will." Rachel said, hopefully, which made Kathryn's smile bigger.

"You know, I could drop out of school." Nate brought his two cents in, hopefully. "Okay, let's not go that far." Kathryn said, losing the hope in her eyes. "Why not? I'll do it!" Nate said, smiling as he did so.

Laura smiled a little, amused by the thought of anyone dropping out of school. Dick chuckled a little, too. "You know, I never finished high school. I stopped after my first year. Hell, Rachel never even went to high school! Actually, the truth is, I was kicked out. My old man got fed up with my behavior, and we argued about things from then on. Eventually, I just decided to do the mature thing, and move out."

This made the Munson family laugh harder than they had the entire dinner. Dick especially noticed Rachel smiling at him, which made him happier than he had been in ages.

After dinner, Dick helped the family clean the dishes. Afterwards, he said, "Mrs. Munson, I can't thank you enough for the meal. But, we have a long drive ahead of us, so…" "You need to rest, don't you? Well, we have an extra bedroom that Rachel and Laura can sleep in, and you can make yourself comfortable on the couch."

"Uh, we can find a motel, somewhere." He said. "The closest one's at least two hours away, and it isn't even that nice." Will interjected.

Just as Dick stammered for a few moments, taken aback by the family's kindness, Rachel said, "Uh, Dick, I need to talk to you for a moment. Kathryn, do you mind if we go wash up?" Kathryn nodded her head. "Sure. The bathroom's right across the hall."

As Dick and Rachel made their way to the bathroom, Kathryn asked Laura, "Do you want some dessert, sweetie?" Laura turned her head, nodded, and smiled shyly.

When Dick and Rachel went into the bathroom, Rachel said, in a low, hushed voice, "Two days on the road. Only one meal and little to no sleep. Dick, she's eleven, I'm fucking 48 and mentally unstable. Literally!" As Dick took out Rachel's pill bottle, he talked to her. "Well, that's 101 reasons to keep moving." Dick deadpanned.

"Dick, I'm not a box of avocados." Dick put the pills into his hand. "Okay, we stay the night, and then what happens?" He asked, sarcastically. "Then we take her to her friends in Eden." Rachel explained, to which Dick rolled his eyes. "And-and then we buy the Sunseeker." She continued.

Dick sighed, and handed Rachel the pills. "Here. Take 'em." Rachel snatched the pills from his hand, and popped them into her mouth. Then, she turned on the faucet, and ran her hand under some water. Just as she was about to put the water into her mouth, the faucet water began spurting.

"Oh, shit!" Will said, from outside the house. Dick came out of the bathroom. "What's going on?" He asked. "Nate, go and fill up the tub before we lose pressure. Honey, check the sink." He said, ignoring Dick's question.

"They shut it off, again." Kathryn said to Will. "Yeah, they're not just going to let this thing go." He said to her. "Well, you might as well handle it, now."

"It can wait till morning. We just had it drain last night." Will continued, as Laura walked around the house. "Alright, honey. I'll take care of it." Will said to Kathryn, before turning to Dick.

"The pump station that supplies our house is a mile and a half from here. Sometimes it gets itself shut off." Will explained to Dick. "By assholes." Nate interjected. "Language, son." Will warned.

"My brother is more than happy to go with you." Rachel interrupted. "No, that's fine." Will said, rejecting the idea. "I could go with." Nate suggested. "No, you've got homework to do." Kathryn said, putting her hand on Nate's shoulder.

"Alright, I can go. Just let me get Rachel settled." Dick volunteered, before helping Rachel up the stairs, as Laura followed suit. When she saw Dick helping Rachel up the stairs, she could swear she almost saw the superhero from the comic books she had been reading for years. The same superhero who gave her hope when she needed it.

* * *

Dick settled Rachel into the bed in the guest room. After he did, he put the covers over her. "You want to watch TV? There's a TV here." He said, pointing to the TV and the remote. "I'm alright." Rachel said.

"Okay, get some rest." Dick said, before turning around to leave. "You know, Dick…" Rachel began, making him turn around to look at her. "This is what life looks like. A home, people who love each other. A safe place. You should take a moment, and feel it."

Dick nodded his head. "Yeah, I feel it, and it's great." He said, before turning around, and opening the door. "Dick. Dick!" Rachel called, making him turn around, once more. "Dick, you still have time."

Dick frowned. "Rachel, the world… it's not the same as what it was. We're taking enough of a risk hanging around here, and you know that. And where we're going, Eden, it doesn't exist. The nurse got it from a comic book. Do you understand? It's not real." Rachel turned her head, and looked Dick directly in the eye. "It's real for Laura."

As Dick left, Rachel repeated her words. "It's real for Laura." For one final time, Dick turned around to look at Rachel. "Get some rest." And, with that, he left.

 _Author's Note: And there's the long awaited Chapter Thirteen! Stratos263, stop making me question whether or not I'm going to kill Wally off! Also, I'm sorry this took so long to write and post. Tell you the truth, I've been really lazy as of late, what with it being the beginning of summer and all, but, I will try to update more often! In case you're wondering what I have in store for the future, I am currently writing a one-shot Family Guy torture story that will be rated-M, so, prepare yourself, and a surprise story! Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

After Dick and Will left, Laura explored the Munson home. She found many pictures of Nate as a child, some of which showed him riding a horse or feeding one of the barn animals. She also saw pictures of Will and Kathryn's wedding, which was as celebratory and beautiful as any wedding should be.

Eventually, Laura grew tired of looking around the house, and decided to go back upstairs. When she made her way up, she saw Nate sitting on his bed with headphones on, staring at a bright screen.

Laura went into his room, and saw that it was full of trophies, and that it contained a paper hung over his desk that said 'honors student' on it. The desk had a laptop on it, and a Cyborg bobble head.

She went over to the teenager, and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her, and took out his headphones. "Uh, hi." He said, awkwardly.

Laura gave a semi-smile, and looked back at the trophies. "Those were mostly for track. That's where you run for high school." Nate said, noticing her curiosity.

She then eyed the bobble head. "Oh, this." He said, smiling as he grabbed it from his desk. "I got this when I was a kid. My Dad and I used to always collect these kinds of things whenever we went into town. I used to read the Teen Titans comic books all the time, back then. I still have some in my closet."

He set the bobble head down, as Laura looked at the device in his hands. "This is an iPod. I got it for my birthday last year. It plays music. Here, you want to listen?" He asked, handing her the iPod, as well as the headphones.

She accepted his offer, and took the headphones and iPod from his hands. She put the headphones over her ears, and music began to blare in her ears. She had never heard it before. It sounded so… glorious to her ears, and she bobbed her head slightly, as the guitar was played, and the artist sang the lyrics.

"You know, if you want, you can hang onto it until tomorrow morning. Just give it back before you leave." He offered, smiling. Laura nodded her head, smiled, and left the room.

She went into the room where Rachel was, and crawled onto the floor next to the bed. Rachel was already sound asleep, but Laura still felt the urge to stay awake. She continued listening to Nate's playlist.

One song in particular stood out to her: 'Hurt', by Johnny Cash. It resonated with her deeply, as the melody was low and soulful, the lyrics were clearly well-thought out and impactful, and it was something that fascinated Laura, hearing a man talk about what she could only assume was his life.

This prompted her to look at a picture that was taken during her time at H.I.V.E. It was a picture of her and the other children, along with Gabriella, celebrating one of the children's birthday. Despite the fact that none of the children in the photo smiled, it was still the only fond memory she had of H.I.V.E.

* * *

"When Canewood Beverage bought up everything out here, except for us, of course, they tried eminent domain when we wouldn't sell our land. Then, they tried to screw with our water. In fact, a couple of months ago, somebody poisoned our dogs. Coincidence? I think not." Will explained, as he and Dick walked to the pump.

"Yeah, I saw a couple of trucks with the same brand on them today, a little before we ran into your family." Dick said to Will, who sighed in response. "Yeah. Hey, look at 'em." He said, pointing to the giant stocks of corn near the Munson's farm, which had a path that would lead to the pump.

"They look like dinosaurs with their 20-ton bodies and tiny brains, shucking their super-corn. You know, it really tastes like shit, if you ask me." Will said, rolling his eyes at the corn.

"If that's the case, then why the Hell do people eat it?" Dick asked. "People don't eat that crap. No, they drink it, because it's turned into corn syrup. It's in all of those drinks that people nowadays have, you know, if they want to stay awake, or cheer themselves up, or feel strong, sexy, whatever." Will further explained.

"Do you remember the time where a bad day was just a bad day?" Will asked Dick. "Mine still are." Dick said bluntly, before chuckling, albeit with a bitter taste in his mouth.

When the two made it to the pump, Will took out a lock cutter, and used it to break the lock on the door, which was the only thing blocking them from the pump. He opened the door, and saw the mess that the water made. "Looks like we're gonna be here a while." Will said.

The two then used wrenches that Will brought with him, and made an effort to fix the pump, getting their upper bodies wet in the process. Eventually, the water stopped spewing out of the pump.

"That should hold it." Will said, as Dick took off his soaked, long-sleeved shirt. "Well, at least it'll hold it until next time. Still, thank you, Dick." He continued. "Don't mention it." Dick responded, smiling.

"Hey, uh, I meant to ask you. How long has your girl been like that?" Will asked. "What do you mean?" A confused Dick responded. "You know, mute." Will said. "Uh, well, since the beginning." He answered.

"Oh. Well, in a lot of ways, I actually envy you." Will answered, chuckling, as Dick took off his black undershirt. "When they get to be my boy's age, with the nonsense that comes out of their mouths, it sometimes makes you wonder the whole point of it all. You know?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a truck light shining in their faces. Will turned around, worry spreading to his face, as he already knew who was in that truck. "Oh, shit." he said, before going over to his bag, and grabbing a handgun from it.

When he got up, he looked back at Dick. "Don't worry. We won't need it. Stay here, and I'll deal with this." He said, before approaching the truck, which sported a Canewood logo on its doors.

Four older gentleman, all of them brandishing shotguns, got out of the truck. "Evening, Mr. Munson. What brings ya'll this way?" The eldest man asked. "Why don't you ask your boys, Jackson?" Will responded.

"You understand you're trespassing on private property, right now?" Jackson asked, smirking, as Dick set his undershirt on the fixed pump. "I have an easement with the previous owner of your property." Will answered. "'Previous' being the operative word." Jackson snorted, before turning his attention to Dick. "Who the Hell is this?" He asked.

"I'm just the guy who's telling you to get back into your nice truck, and to go play Okie dickhead somewhere else." Dick said, as he walked to Will's side. This surprised the men, especially Jackson, but it also surprised Will.

Then, Jackson chuckled, and looked back at his friend. "Hey, Carl. It looks like Mr. Munson hired some muscle." He said, putting emphasis on the word 'muscle'. "It looks that way." Carl responded, also smirking.

"He's a friend of mine." Will said, stepping forward a little. "A friend with a big mouth." Jackson retorted. "Yeah, I hear that a lot." Dick said, challenging Jackson. "Then you've probably heard this, too." Jackson responded, before cocking his shotgun. "More than I'd like." Dick said, unintimidated by Jackson.

"Then you know the drill. I'm gonna count to three, and you two are gonna start walking away." Jackson said, stepping forward, as his friends also cocked their shotguns.

"I have rights to this one." Will attempted to reason with Jackson. "One." Jackson said, ignoring what Will was saying. "I have a lawyer now!" Will continued. "Two…" Jackson continued, ignoring Will's protests, and as he prepared to fire his shotgun at Will.

Then, Dick ran up to Jackson, grabbed the shotgun, and hit him in the nose with it, knocking the older man to the ground. "Three." Dick said, angrily. "Are you okay, boss?" One of the other men asked, as Jackson got up off the ground.

Dick took the shotgun, and unloaded the clip from it. Then, he emptied all of the bullets out onto the ground, and threw the clip down with them. "You know the drill. Get the Hell out of here." He said.

When the men didn't comply, and looked at Dick in shock, Dick threatened them by pulling out a shuriken, throwing it ever so closely to Jackson's foot. "GO!" He yelled. This got the gentleman to get back into their truck, and take off.

Dick went back over to the pump, and grabbed his shirts. "So, I take it you've had training?" Will asked. "Well, not to brag, but I was trained by the best." Dick responded, smiling. Then, the two began to make their way back to the farm.

* * *

Back at the farm, Rachel woke up to the sound of footsteps, and the door opening. As she looked up to see who it was, she smiled. "Oh, it's you. Welcome back."

Then, she sighed, and looked out through the window, and at the light in the distance. "You know… if I'm being honest, this was the best, most perfect night that I've had in years." Rachel said, smiling. Then, tears began to fall from her eyes, and down her face. "But I don't deserve to have such a nice night, do I?" She said, her voice cracking.

As the tears slowly made their way down her face, she continued talking. "I remembered what happened back in Gotham City. Yesterday wasn't the first time that I hurt so many people. Until today, I didn't know. I was never told anything. Always kept in the darkness. So, we just… kept on… running away from everything." Rachel said, as the figure approached her. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Laura had woken up, and sensed that something wasn't right.

Rachel then turned to look at the figure. "Kori, I think I finally understand Dick." She said, as the figure put her arm on Rachel's left shoulder, and leaned forward. "Kori?" Rachel asked, before the figure who looked like Starfire put her right hand to Rachel's chest, and blasted through it with a starbolt.

 _Author's Note: I didn't want to do it. I_ _really did not want to do this. But, I felt that I would be doing this story, the story of 'Logan', and you guys a disservice if I didn't keep most of the same story beats. Still, I apologize. For that, and for not updating sooner. Also, the next chapter is gonna be absolutely brutal, so brace yourselves. And, this is the final fact, so don't worry, the song that Laura was listening to was 'Way Down We Go'. I wanted to pay some homage to the fantastic marketing of the film by incorporating one of the songs into the story. That, and it's just a really kick-ass song. Stratos263, once again, thank you for reviewing! Now, it's just gonna be Dick and Laura who need luck. Also, a clone of Starfire was the one_ _intended to be a substitute for X-24 since the second chapter! Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

As 'Starfire' pulled her bloody hand from off of Rachel's chest, Laura screamed, and attacked the woman, knocking her into a wall. 'Starfire' grunted as she struggled to get the screaming, violent child off of her.

Then, she twisted the child's arm, causing Laura to scream, and smacked her across the head, knocking her to the ground.

At that moment, Nate stood in the doorway, armed with a baseball bat. "Get away from her!" He yelled at the woman, whose eyes were filled with a rage unlike anything he had ever seen.

He took a swing of the bat at the woman's head, and, for a moment, her eye was bruised. Then, it automatically healed, and she lunged at him. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and snapped it with one twist.

Then, to add insult to injury, she put her hand on his back, dug her nails deep into and through his flesh, and ripped his spine right out of his body.

Unbeknownst to Laura, Nate, or the quickly dying Rachel, Dr. Rice, Daniel Sullivan, and Wally West, who was still in his cage, saw all that was going on via the cameras installed into the eyes of X-24, the codename for the creature that looked like Starfire.

All three men looked on with a different emotion in their eyes: Dr. Rice with pride, Sullivan with amusement, and Wally with a complete and utter horror.

"Why is it killing the family?! Why are you allowing it to kill Rachel?! You said you only needed the girl!" Wally protested. Dr. Rice chuckled, and said, "Did you really think that, in getting the girl back, no one would get hurt? There will always be casualties, Mr. West. Besides, wasn't the empath a burden to both you and Mr. Grayson? Hmm?"

As Wally bowed his head in shame and regret, Dr. Rice continued. "Your friends had multiple opportunities to cooperate, anyway. So, we decided to use the ultimate weapon, considering how all of our previous efforts had failed. You see, with children, they can be taught how to kill. We can leave an impression on them. But, thanks to their nurse friend, they were nurtured, and grown with a conscience. But you can't nurture rage, my friend."

After X-24 put the now-conscious Laura in the specially designed handcuffs, she attempted to leave the premises, but was stopped by Kathryn, who was wielding a shotgun in her hands. "PUT. HER. DOWN." She threatened, before cocking the shotgun.

As Dick and Will made their way back, Dick went into the truck, and set his shirts on the passenger's seat, prepared to wake up Laura and Rachel. Will, on the other hand, went into the house, exhausted.

"Honey?" He called out. "STAY DOWN THERE, WILL!" She screamed, with an obvious fear in her voice. Then, Will heard the blast of a shotgun, and the sound of Laura and Kathryn screaming. "Kathryn?!" Will yelled, before making his way up the stairs. "KATHRYN!" He yelled.

Dick heard everything from outside, and made his way inside, as well.

When Will got to the top of the stairs, when he saw what had become of his wife, who was now a mutilated, mangled corpse with a shotgun in her mouth, and a hole in her head, he was blasted in the chest by X-24, and knocked down the staircase.

When Dick went inside, he saw Will's body on the floor. "Will!" He yelled, before going to inspect the body. "Oh, my God. Who did this to you?!" He asked.

Then, Will pointed at something behind Dick. Dick turned around, stood up, and was completely horrified by what he saw. Starfire, the woman he loved for so long, the woman he held in his arms as she died, walking down the stairs, carrying Laura in handcuffs, no emotion in her eyes other than rage, and a feral expression on her face.

As X-24, whom Dick only knew as Starfire, made her way to the bottom step, she walked around Will's body, and looked Dick directly in the eye. And all that Dick could do was keep his body turning and his eyes focused on her, as she began to leave, and his entire world began spinning in a 360 degree angle.

X-24 made her way to the door, and Laura continued sobbing and screaming. And all that Dick could do was say, "Rachel? RACHEL?!" With fear in his voice, as he made his way up the stairs.

When he got upstairs, he saw what X-24 had done to Kathryn and Nate. "Oh, please God, no." He already knew, deep down, that there was no hope for Rachel. But he still had to be sure. So, he ran into the room, and found that his fears were confirmed. Rachel was on the bed, blood coming out of her chest and mouth.

He hurried over to the bed, and put her hand over the wound site on her chest. "Hold this." He said, and she obeyed, as he grabbed her off of the bed, and carried her out the room.

Outside, X-24 approached the truck that Dr. Rice and Sullivan had come in, and which was also currently holding Wally. Sullivan turned on the truck's headlights, helping the creature get closer to the truck.

Then, luckily for Laura, four other trucks approached, and stopped near the farm. Then, sixteen farmers, including Jackson and his men from earlier, got out of their trucks.

"Will Munson! Get out here!" He yelled. X-24 dropped Laura, still in handcuffs, to the ground, and approached the men. "What the fuck is she doing? And who the fuck is that?" Sullivan questioned.

X-24 stood in front of the farmers. "Hello, miss. Are you lost? Or do you work for Munson?" Jackson asked condescendingly, as the other farmers whistled at X-24, who gave them no response.

"Listen, I don't know what Munson is paying you, but Canewood will pay you triple." Jackson said, unaware of what X-24 was capable of. The mindless creature continued walking toward Jackson, prompting him to draw his gun.

"Slow down there, missy. You don't want me to shoot, do ya?" He asked. X-24 continued walking. So, Jackson fired his weapon at her abdomen.

Furious beyond all belief, X-24 raised her hands up, and prepared starbolts on both of them. "What in high-" Jackson said, before Kori blasted his skull off of his body.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no!" Dr. Rice said, as X-24 continued killing the farmers. "Sullivan, what the fuck are you waiting for?! Get out there and stop her!" Dr. Rice commanded, his eye twitching. "Sorry, Doc. She only listens to you, remember?"

Angry and exasperated, Dr. Rice got out of the truck in a hurry, and, keeping a distance, called out to X-24, who was still mindlessly slaughtering the farmers.

Meanwhile, as the carnage ensued, and Dr. Rice's continuing attempts to bring X-24 back to him, Dick, holding Rachel's body in his arms, made his way outside, and ran to the truck. He opened the back door, and set Rachel on the seat.

"Hang on, Rachel." He said. Then, Rachel coughed up blood, and… laughed. This took Dick completely off-guard. "I guess you finally got what you wanted." She said. "What?" A confused Dick asked. "I know that I'm a burden, Dick. And I know that you've been waiting for me to die." She said.

As Dick opened his mouth to speak, she took the hand that she had over her wound, and put it over his mouth. "Don't try to deny it. We both know that…" She was stopped then, as she started coughing. "You were just biding time until I was gone. And soon… I will be. But just remember this…" She continued, before her eyes began to droop.

Dick, with tears coming down his face, soaking his beard, said, "What? What is it, Rachel?" Then, she smiled, and said, looking directly at him, "Robin… you still have time." And then, she was gone. The life had left her body, which was now limp.

Dick began to breathe heavily, and broke down into a sob. "Nooo… Rachel, please. Please, don't."

Dick stopped mourning the loss of his friend when he heard Laura's screams, and the screams of X-24's victims, and Dr. Rice's attempts to stop her. "Come! 24, GET THE FUCK OVER HERE! Come, NOW!" But X-24 did not stop. She would not stop. Not until all of the associates of the man who shot her were dead. "Goddammit, Sullivan, get your arse out here!" The Doctor protested.

As Sullivan and an Enforcer prepared their weapons and developed a plan of attack, Wally noticed something: two grenades, just within arms reach. He forced his hands through the space under his cage door, and grabbed the grenades.

Then, just as Sullivan and the Enforcer were about to jump out of the truck, Wally stood up, and ignited one of the grenades. Just before igniting the second one, he looked directly at Sullivan, and smirked. "You said it yourself, fucker. Beware the light." And with that, he ignited the second grenade, threw both of them threw the holes in his cage door, and accepted his fate.

Almost instinctively, Sullivan and the Enforcer jumped out of the truck, as an explosion wrapped around the vehicle. The Enforcer was not so lucky, as he jumped out too late, and his body was slowly burning away. Not wanting to see someone die a death like that, Sullivan, laying down on the ground, aimed his weapon at the Enforcer, and shot him through the head. Twice.

Dr. Rice, who was also on the ground, looked up, and prepared to call out to X-24. Suddenly, Dick appeared out of nowhere, and smacked her in the head with his bo-staff.

He continued beating her, landing a few punches to her jaw and stomach, and continued until he took his staff, and swung at her again, only for X-24 to grab the staff with both of her hands, and began to try to take it from Dick's grip.

As he struggled to hold onto his staff, Dick asked, through gritted teeth, "What the Hell are you?" X-24 responded by screaming, and forcing the staff into his head, knocking him to the ground.

With the staff in her hands, she attempted to impale Dick, only for him to roll over, and knock her to her feet, which simultaneously knocked the staff out of her hands, giving him the advantage. He took the staff, and beat the creature across the body, before she blasted him off of his feet, and threw him at a tree.

As Dick's body slumped to the ground, his eyes dared to close. " _No._ _Gotta… keep going._ " He thought, as he stood up, and ran towards X-24, knocking her down.

He began punching X-24 in the face, using both of his hands. But he found that, no matter how many bruises she received from the punches, X-24 almost automatically healed.

X-24 let out a horrible growl, and blasted Dick's stomach. It wasn't enough to kill him, but ever did it hurt. Dick let out a howl of pain, as X-24 threw him off, and began punching him repeatedly in the chest and face.

After some time, X-24 grabbed the beaten, bloodied, and bruised Dick by the collar and prepared to impale him on a nearby tree. She dragged him to the tree, and, just as she was about to drive his body through one of the branches, both she and Dick saw light. Two lights, coming up fast. The headlights of a truck.

Dick rolled out of the way, as the truck smashed into X-24, and continued driving, until the creature was impaled on the barb-wire fence.

X-24 screamed in pain and anger, as Will Munson, who was still alive, but hardly breathing, limped out of the truck, and aimed his shotgun at her. He shot through the head, shutting her up for a second. Then, she continued shouting, and he shot her again. And again. And again. And again. Until, finally, after seven shots, the beast was finally dead.

Dick stumbled over to Will, and stood up. Will turned around to face Dick, and, with anger in his eyes, he aimed the shotgun at Dick. Dick silently said, "Just do it."

Perfectly fine with Dick's acceptance of the situation, Will cocked the shotgun, and pulled the trigger. And, coming as a surprise to both men, the gun was empty. Will then looked at the shotgun, and looked at Dick, almost as if he was sorry that he even considered killing him. And then, he dropped to the ground, and faced the same fate that his family, Rachel, and seventeen other men had just faced: death.

Dick stared in shock at his friend's' lifeless body. As he wished that the same thing had happened to him, time slowed down. It was as if he could just stand there, forever, stuck in a trance, still waiting to die.

It wasn't until the harsh realization that he was still alive dawned on him, and the sound of Laura screaming, that he snapped out of his trance, and turned around.

Dr. Rice watched as Dick hobbled toward the screaming Laura. When Dick was directly next to Laura, he bent down, picked her up, and cradled her in his arms, as if she were a baby.

He continued walking, until he heard a familiar voice. "Dick…" He turned around, and saw a badly burnt Wally crawling on the ground. He stared in complete shock, and said, "Wally… you're still alive? Oh, my God. Wally…" Wally smiled weakly, and said, "I'm sorry." Then, his head slumped to the ground, and he too was gone.

Laura continued screaming, until Dick finally made his way to the truck. He opened the passenger door, and seat her on the seat. She looked back at the backseat, and saw Rachel's lifeless body. She began to scream again, and growled with anger, trying to force her way out of the handcuffs.

"Sit down!" Dick commanded, as he forced Laura onto the seat, and closed the door. Then, he ran as fast as he could to Wally's body, and grabbed it off the ground. He hobbled back to the car, and placed the body on the floor of the truck's trunk.

He closed the trunk, and got into the car. He saw Laura still struggling to get out of her handcuffs. He took out a Birdarang, one of the few things he held onto from the past, and sliced the cuffs.

Then, he drove the car through a cornfield, briefly obscuring their vision, until the drove onto the road. At that moment, Dick realized that he was completely uncertain of where the road would take them, and what to do.

 _Author's Note: Before you get angry, I just want you to know that I didn't want to kill off any of the people that died in this chapter! Well, I could care less about the Enforcer, or the redneck farmers, but still! R.I.P Rachel, Wally, and the Munson Family! Stratos263, a clone of Starfire is exactly what will hurt Dick emotionally, mentally, and physically. It's perfect. Thank you once again for reviewing! Also, I want to thank my fellow writer DarthBatman11 for following and favoriting me and this story! Check out this writer's page, because there's some damn good South Park fics on there! Anyway, thank you all for reading, leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_

 _P.S, Thunderbird will be put on hold for a while. For those of you who like that story, don't worry, I'm not cancelling it, I just want to focus my time and energy on this story for now!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen_

At a base in Oklahoma, Dr. Rice and his assistants were fixing whatever wounds X-24 had attained. The beast growled with anger, but it was not directed at the Doctor. No, it was directed at the man who attacked her. The man who got away from her.

Meanwhile, Sullivan, who was recharging his cybernetic arm, saw that it was back at 100%. He took the arm, and attached it to his flesh. Then, he took a look at one of the comic books they had found at the Munson home. He flipped through it, and saw something that caught his eye: coordinates, for North Dakota. He pulled out a bag with the words 'evidence' on it, and pulled out the picture of Gabriella and the children they found in the room where Rachel and Laura slept. He turned the picture over, and saw the exact same coordinates on the picture. "Son of a bitch."

* * *

Across the country, Laura stood by the truck, and watched as Dick buried the bodies of Rachel and Wally. Wally's grave was already done, but Dick was still putting the finishing touches on Rachel's grave.

He patted the dirt down one last time, and looked at the graves of his two friends. His hands shook, with anger and sadness. Laura went over, and stood next to him.

"Wally… you were a good friend. Better than I could ask for. You helped me when I needed someone to be there for me, and… I'll miss you, man." Dick said, with melancholy in his voice. "Rachel… I didn't want you dead. You made things hard, but… for a while, I actually thought that… that… things would be better. God, I was stupid. 'Take the girl to North Dakota, and buy the Sunseeker'. Well, at least there's water. There's… there's water." Dick said, his voice cracking.

Laura realized just how broken the man was. She had never seen anyone so defeated by life. She took his right hand, the one that didn't have a shovel in it, and held it. She looked up at him with worry, and he looked at her.

Tears trickled down his cheeks, and stained his bearded face, as he stared at the graves. Then, he grunted, and ripped his hand away from Laura's grasp.

"Goddammit." He muttered, as he walked away from the girl, the shovel still in his hand, as he walked back to the truck.

Laura stood by a tree, and, watched as Dick tried to start the truck. But the engine sputtered, and the truck failed to go. And there wasn't a gas station within close proximity. The car was done for.

"Come on. Goddamit." He continued to try to start the truck, but both he and Laura knew that it was useless. He yelled, and got out of the truck, and slammed the door, shattering the window glass. "FUCK!" He yelled, before he began punching the door.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" He screamed, all the while bruising his knuckles. He then grabbed the shovel, and started beating the car with it.

Eventually, Dick stopped hitting the truck. The shovel fell out of his hands, and he fell to the ground, exhausted by life.

* * *

When Dick woke up, he was bandaged, and lying down on a cot. A doctor stood over him, examining him. "Oh, thank goodness! You're up." The doctor said, smiling.

Dick groaned in pain, and attempted to get up, but the doctor laid him back down. "Please, sir. Don't get up, I still need to treat you. Thankfully, you're still alive. Your injuries were pretty bad. Luckily, I don't have to tell that nice girl out there that you're dead!" He said, chuckling.

Dick gently pushed the doctor's hand away, and grabbed his beater, undershirt, and long-sleeved shirt. He put them on, as the doctor protested. "Uh, sir, you still need to be looked at!" He said, but Dick ignored him, and walked into the waiting room.

Sure enough, he found Laura, sitting in a chair, reading a magazine. She got off of the chair, and walked out the door, the magazine in her hand. She knew that they weren't going to stay.

The doctor followed Dick into the waiting room. Dick turned around, and looked at him. "Um, did anyone come in here? Looking for me? Or the girl?" He asked. The doctor shook his head. "Good. Look, you seem like a nice guy, so if anyone does come in here looking for us, don't tell them that we were here. For your safety and ours. Understood?" He asked. The doctor nodded his head, and Dick left the building.

* * *

They were in a little town. It looked old-fashioned, almost like something from the 40s or 50s. He saw Laura waiting for him by a car. When she saw Dick stumble outside, she opened the passenger's door, and got inside.

He got into the car, albeit hesitantly, and closed the door. "Kid, you can't just take shit as you please." He said, before grabbing the keys. But, just as he was about to start the car, he sighed, and set the keys down.

"Look, I don't know how you got me here. But, uh, thank you." He said, before grabbing the keys again. "You're welcome." Laura said.

Dick's eyes widened, and he set the keys down again. Only this time, after he did so, he looked at the eleven year old. "You can talk?" He asked, to which she nodded her head. "You could talk this whole time?" He asked, and she nodded her head again. "What the fuck… well, what the Hell's all this bullshit been for the past 2000 fucking miles?"

"WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO YOU IF ALL YOU DO IS YELL AT ME, INSULT ME, AND TRY TO LEAVE ME BEHIND?" Laura yelled. She continued screaming at him. "Okay, okay, shut up, shut up, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He yelled.

She sat back down, and started saying, "Jonah, Gideon, Rebecca, Delilah, Rictor." She repeated the names to a confused Dick, who started to question her. "Who is that? WHO IS THAT?" He asked.

Laura grabbed her backpack, and continued to repeat the names. Then, she pulled out the envelope with the coordinates on it, and started talking again. "Those are the names of my friends. And this is where they are. North Dakota." She said, pointing at the coordinates.

Dick angrily grabbed the bag, and pulled out one of the comics. "Listen, kid. Your nurse friend, she read too many stories. Understand? Too many stories." He said, frustrated, as he flipped through the pages of the comic.

"You see all of this? This is all bullshit! All of these stories are lies! Yeah, some of them happened once, but then some asshole took them and turned them into a big fucking lie!" He flipped to the front page, and pointed at the names of the writers.

"You see these? These are the names of the people that made this crap up! And you know what that means? 'Eden' is made up, too!" He said. But all that Laura could do was glare at him. "I am fucked up, and cannot get you to North Dakota, anyway. It's a two-day drive, and I-"

Dick was interrupted by Laura punching him in the face twice, and growling. She would have punched him a third time, if he hadn't caught her hand. "DON'T FUCKING HIT ME! Don't hit me!" He yelled at her.

She continued glaring, and said, "Jonah, Gideon, Delilah, Rebecca, Rictor." "Stop it." He growled, but she repeated the names, two times in a row.

"FINE, FINE!" He put the keys in the ignition, and his hands on the wheel. "Let's go to fucking fantasy land." He muttered under his breath, as a satisfied Laura sat back in her seat.

* * *

The next day, nearing sunset, an exhausted Dick was driving through God-knows-where, trying his best not to fall asleep. "Let me drive." Laura said. "No, you shouldn't be driving." He said, gruffly.

"You want to die, don't you?" Laura asked him, who, in turn, looked at her. "Rachel told me everything." She explained. "And what else did she tell you?" Dick asked. "To not let you."

She stopped the car for him. He looked her directly in the eye. "Sleep." She commanded.

He got in the back seat, and laid down on it. Within mere seconds, he was asleep. Then, Laura got into the driver's seat, started the car, and drove off.

* * *

When Dick woke up, he saw that the car was parked somewhere completely different from where it was the previous night. He also noticed that Laura was nowhere to be found.

He got out of the car, and stumbled for a little while, until he saw three little cabins and a lookout tower on top of a ridge, and Laura at the top of said ridge. He also noticed that there were a bunch of kids hanging around, looking at him.

"Holy shit." He said, before collapsing to the ground. " _We're here. Eden… it's real._ "

 _Author's Note: Here is Chapter Sixteen! Andrew, thanks again for reviewing! Yeah, X-24 is just a mindless beast with no thoughts or emotions or morality, basically the opposite of Starfire. DarthBatman11, thank you for reviewing all of the chapters! I'm glad that you like the story, and I'm just as excited for where it's going as you are! Also, I'm wondering if I should dedicate an entire chapter to the story of what happened to the Titans, or an entire story. What do you think? Anyways, thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter Seventeen_

The night air was cool in Jump City. It had been a hot spring day, so some nice air was a refreshing change of pace. Princess Koriand'r, AKA Kori Anders, AKA Starfire, sat atop a rooftop, thinking about the day that she had experienced.

That particular day was the one-year anniversary of Kori and Dick Grayson's anniversary. They had spent the whole day together, for there was no calls from the city that indicated they were needed.

They went to the carnival, where he won her a brightly colored necklace. The next thing they did was eat dinner at a fancy restaurant. Afterwards, they danced on top of Titans Tower, to Kori's favorite song: 'Sunshine'.

Everything had gone so perfectly… until Bruce Wayne, the Batman himself, showed up in the Batplane. "Why are you here, Bruce?" Dick asked, impatiently. "Dick… it's him. He's broken out of Arkham."

Robin immediately left, but only after explaining to a worried Kori why he would be leaving, and assuring her that he'd be back in a few days.

She sighed, worried about the young man that she loved. Her mind wandered back to their first kiss in Tokyo. How they revealed the way they truly felt about one another to each other, and how their kiss in the rain was a completely perfect moment. Kori couldn't call many moments in her life perfect, but that was absolutely one of them.

She was taken out of her thoughts by the sound of a woman screaming. "HELP! HELP! Somebody, please help me!" The woman yelled. Kori saw where the screams were coming from, and saw two bigger men cornering a woman with blonde hair.

Starfire, with a determined, confident look on her face, jumped from the rooftop, flew down, and knocked the two gentleman to their feet with one swoop.

She stood up, walked over to the cowering woman. She sympathetically asked, "Miss? Are you alright?" The woman immediately stopped crying, reached behind herself, and grabbed onto something. "I sure am. But you're not!"

Kori's eyes widened, and, before she could react, a mallet collided with her face, knocking her to the ground. Within seconds, she was completely unconscious, and the last thing she heard was a cold, maniacal laugh.

* * *

The same thing happened with the other Teen Titans. Within days, Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, and Rachel Roth had disappeared. And it wasn't just the founding members who had disappeared. Soon, all of the Titans had gone missing. All in the same way, and all by the same people, who had the same vendetta.

When Dick received word of the Titans' unexplained disappearance, he immediately returned to Jump City, and started a search for his missing friends. Night after night, he scoured the city, tracking down everyone and anyone who could have had a connection to the Titans going missing.

Even when he enlisted the help of the Jump City Police Force, the civilians of Jump City, even the Titans East, the search went on. Nobody had seen any sign of Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, or Beast Boy.

Then, after three painful, sleep-depriving months of searching, Robin received a clue, as well as an invitation.

* * *

When Robin woke up on the chair in the crime room at Titans Tower, he heard the doorbell ringing. He stumbled out of the room, and into the living room. He opened the door, and saw Ted, the Titans' mailman, holding a package.

He grabbed the package from Ted's hands. "Thanks, Ted." The boy gave a sad smile, as Ted offered one in return, and left.

Robin sat down at the common room table, and opened the package. Inside was a mannequin, with a straight jacket wrapped around it, and a smile glued to its face. The clues were all there. They all added up. He didn't need anymore confirmation. "Arkham." He growled, through gritted teeth.

He alerted the remaining Titans, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid-Flash, and Bumblebee, about the package. "I think I know who's behind all this. And if my hunch is correct, I'm gonna need some help. Who's with me?" He asked, talking to them through his communicator. "I'm with you." Aqualad said. "I've got your back, Robin!" Kid-Flash said, enthusiastically. "I'm your friend, Robin. And I'll help you get the Titans back." Speedy added in. "We'll do whatever we have to, Robin." Bumblebee responded.

The four quickly left the common room, before going to the rooftop and hopping aboard the T-Ship. As the five young heroes fastened their seatbelts, getting comfortable for the long journey ahead, Robin punched in the coordinates for Gotham City. Robin knew he could call in Bruce. He knew that it was the right thing to do, possibly the only sane thing to do. But this was their fight. Theirs to go to battle with.

* * *

When they arrived at Arkham Asylum, they found that the former psychiatric evaluation center and maximum facility prison was no longer guarded by anyone. No, it was abandoned, and trashed. It was left open, like a rotting wound. And it was the perfect place to hide something.

They landed the ship on top of the hospital, and got out of it. "Go in through another way, in case this is a trap." Robin silently commanded to the four other heroes. They obeyed his order, and made their way to another entrance, hopping through a ventilation duct.

Carefully tiptoeing in the moonlight, Robin found himself at the edge of the hospital's roof. He pulled out his grappling gun, preparing to jump in through the window, only to be stopped by a familiar voice. "Isn't it a school night, boy?"

Robin froze when he heard the voice, and his expression turned to one of anger when he looked to see who the voice was coming from. "Slade."

"Correct, Robin." Slade hissed. Robin slipped three birdarangs from out of his belt, but did not engage. "Where are the other Titans?" He gruffly asked, making no effort to hide his anger or his desperation. "Titans? There are no Titans here." Slade cooly mocked.

"Cut the act, Slade. WHERE ARE THE TITANS?" Robin yelled. This time, there was no response. Gritting his teeth, he aimed the birdarangs, and threw all three at the masked man. Thinking quickly, Slade ducked, and avoided the projectiles. "That's it!" Robin yelled, before he ran at full speed. He was angry, and determined. Determined to attack Slade.

Robin ran over to Slade, who wasn't moving to attack him, as well. No, he just stood there, almost like he was waiting for Robin to attack him.

Robin ignored this, and struck Slade in the face. And, just like that, his mask shattered, and he fell to the ground. A suspicious Robin walked over to Slade's unconscious body. Then, he heard… laughter.

He realized too late that it was a fake, for the robot that was impersonating Slade sprayed a peculiar gas, attacking his nose, making him fall to the ground clutching his stomach as he let out heavy, painful laughs. Robin could feel it making his insides turn, and his heart rate faster. Its effects were taking full-hold, and knocking out the young hero. And as the boy fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face through the straining laughter, the very last thing that Robin saw was his tall, towering silhouette. And the last thing he heard before the beginning of a seemingly endless nightmare was the cold, familiar laughter of the only man he had any reason to fear.

* * *

When Robin woke up, he was strapped to a chair. He was in the Observation Room of the Asylum. The room was pitch black. From what he could hear, there was no sign of Speedy, Bumblebee, Aqualad, or Kid-Flash. For a few moments, he could see nothing but darkness, until…

"Hello, Robin!" A shrill, familiar voice yelled, as the lights turned on, revealing a stage, and four cages, all with tarps covering them. "Joker." He growled. "That's right, my boy!" The Joker said, stepping onto the stage, his horrible, permanent grin ever wide.

"Where's Slade? And where are the other Titans?" The Joker feigned a confused look. "Titans? There are no Titans here! And who is Slade?" He asked. "Maybe he means our new family!" Harley Quinn said, stepping onto the stage. "Of course! That's it!" The Joker said, snapping his fingers.

Robin's eyes widened, and he stopped struggling in his chair. "I'm not going to ask you again. WHERE ARE THE TITANS, AND WHERE IS SLADE?!" Robin screamed, desperate for answers. The Joker only cackled when Robin asked. "TELL ME!" Robin yelled, tears forming in the sides of his mask. They were not visible to his captors, for his mask hid them well enough on their own.

The Joker stopped cackling, and said, with no humor in his voice, "There's no Slade here. Did you honestly think he would come all the way here, kidnap your precious Titans, just to torture you? That's just not him, is it?"

Robin stared in disbelief. He was conflicted. On the one hand, Slade not being involved was a blessing, since making things more complicated was the last thing that Dick wanted. On the other hand, having Slade be the one behind all of this was easily preferable to having _him_ be behind everything.

"Shocking, isn't it? Well, enough about you, Robin. Now it's time to talk about me. You know, kid, Harley and I have been been doing this little run-around with you and Batman for years now. But the sad fact is, none of us are getting any younger." The Joker stated, somewhat sadly. "That old clock's a-ticking!" Harley Quinn added, patting her stomach. "Quite right, poo!" The Joker cooed, before the madwoman pecked him on the cheek.

As Robin began to subtly slide his arms through some of the binds, the Joker and Harley continued. "We decided that it was time to start a family, add a Joker Junior or two to our merry brood!" The Joker said. "But rather than having to go through the 'joy' of childbirth, we decided to adopt!" Harley continued for them.

"We couldn't do it legally, of course, but then we remembered that you always had a few spare kids hanging around! So, we took all of them, and we raised a few as our family." The Joker said, a dark tone replacing the somewhat warm one in his voice earlier, and he smiled as he walked over to one of the cages, and pulled the tarp off.

Robin could only stare in horror as the realization of what he was seeing dawned on him. He could clearly see what was inside the cage. A pale, white pair of young male legs. The rest of the young man's body was obscured by darkness. "No…" He gasped. "My God!" A horrified Bumblebee whispered to Speedy, Aqualad and Kid-Flash, who were all hiding in the vents above the room.

"He needed a little molding, but, in time, we came to love him as our own. Say hello, J.J!" The Joker said, opening the cage. Then, Robin could only sit and watch in horror, as Beast Boy, whose skin was now completely white, and his hair dyed black and styled to look like the Joker's, was wearing little suspenders reminiscent of the Joker's, laughing and grinning like a maniac.

"That's not even our best work! You're going to love what we did to the big one! Robin, meet James!" He exclaimed, pulling the tarp off of the next cage, revealing Cyborg, whose robotic parts had now been spray painted white and green and purple. The other half of his face was covered with a mask, which had a sick smile for a facial expression on it. He was screaming, screaming for help.

"And what about the empath? Well, there is no empath anymore, just Harleena!" The Joker continued, pulling the third cage's tarp off, revealing Raven, wearing a blood-stained, white dress. Unlike the others, she was sitting on the floor of the cage, completely broken. Robin couldn't even begin to imagine what the maniac had done to her.

"And this one, ohh, this one. Hehe, this is my personal favorite. Robin, meet my lovely wife, Jeannie!" The Joker exclaimed, pulling the tarp off, and revealing Starfire, who, unlike the others, looked completely untouched. She looked… normal. So normal, that it disturbed Robin. She wore the outfit of a stereotypical wife from the 50s. She had no makeup on, and her hair was dyed blonde, and cut a little shorter.

Harley stepped back for a moment, and looked at the man she loved in shock. "Uh, Puddin'? I thought that I was your beloved! Forever and ever! Remember?" She asked, sadly.

The Joker's eyes turned blood red, and, for a moment, it looked like he was going to hurt her, but then, his eyes returned to normal, and he spoke with an unpleasant voice feigning sweetness. "My dear, as I told you years ago… Never. Call. ME. 'PUDDIN'." He growled, before pulling out a gun, and shooting her at point blank range in the head.

Her body fell to the ground. There was a gaping hole in her head, the size of the bullet. As Robin and the hidden Titans stared in shock and horror, the transformed Beast Boy and Joker looked at the corpse, and laughed. The other Titans didn't do anything. Cyborg stood in the cage, screaming. Raven cowered in fear and shock. And Starfire did nothing. She was completely complacent, and stood there, looking over the corpse.

The laughter was painful to hear. It was like the sound of a thousand screaming infants in a hospital fire. And the pain of seeing his friends, his new family, the Teen Titans, so strong, able to take on so many threats in the past, so broken, drove Robin completely over the edge.

More enraged than he had ever been, he pulled his arms up with all the strength that he could muster, and he ripped through the binds. He threw a birdarang directly at the Joker's arm, and it hit.

The Joker cried out in pain, and looked at the boy with rage. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" He yelled, before he looked at the wound, and began laughing again. Then, he ran out of the observation room, and into the hallway. Beast Boy, still grinning that sick smile, followed them.

Robin followed him out of the room, as the other Titans jumped out of the vent, and ran to help their friends. "Bee!" Cyborg exclaimed through the mask. Bumblebee ran over, ripped it off, and kissed his face. "Hey, Sparky. Glad to see you're okay!" She exclaimed.

The two hugged, as Kid-Flash and Aqualad helped Raven to her feet. Then, Speedy tended to Starfire. "Kori? Kori, are you alright?" He asked, cautiously. She looked at him, no emotion in her voice. "Kori? There... there's no Kori here. I'm not Kori. I'm Jeannie. Jeannie White... the wife... the wife of the Joker."

* * *

Robin followed the Joker to the Asylum's rooftop theater. The Joker was nowhere to be seen. "What's the matter, kid? No witty comeback? No threat? I thought you were trained by the best. Very well, I'll provide the narration." The Joker's voice said over a speaker, as the lights on the roof began to dim, and the screen began playing a movie of some sort.

It started with a black and white screen with text that said "OUR FAMILY MEMORIES." It then switched to The Joker wearing a labcoat, positioning the camera. "I'll begin with how I peeled back the layers of your friends' minds."

The scene shifted to footage all the Titans struggling to escape. "You would have been proud to see them so strong." The scenery changed, and showed things like the Titans being stripped of their clothing, or being subjected to laughing gas, or being whipped, or mutilated, or beaten, or washed with a fire hose. And all that Robin could do was watch. Watch, and look in horror.

"But all too soon the shocks and the serums took their toll, and your dear friends, including the others that I took, began to share such secrets with me. Secrets that are mine alone to know… Dick."

That last line sent a chill down the teen's spine. "It's true, Robby! I know everything. All about you, the Titans, the Justice League, and Bruce. So, with all that out of the way, I have to admit that, despite knowing everything I wanted to know, I must admit, it's sadly anticlimactic. Behind the mask, the brooding, and the gadgets, both you and Batsy are just little boys in playsuits crying for Mommy and Daddy! It would be funny if it weren't so damn pathetic."

The Joker faked a look of thoughtfulness for a moment, before he smiled, and said, "Oh, what the Hell? I'll laugh anyway! HAHAHAHA!" He said, before Robin crashed through the projection room's window, and ramming his bo-staff into the Joker's chest and groin. Then, he grabbed the clown, and slapped him across the face, knocking him into the projector, and onto the ground.

The Boy Wonder grabbed the Joker by the collar, and the Joker simply said, "If you don't like the movie, I've got slides!" Robin growled, and throw the madman out of the window, and onto the ground.

The Joker smiled when he saw that Beast Boy had followed them up. He continued to smile, even when Robin grabbed the Joker by the arm, and dragged him over to a wall. Then, he took out a Birdarang, and put it to his neck.

"I'll kill you for what you've done. You hear me? I'll tear you limb from fucking limb..." Robin darkly announced through his gritted teeth. He was unsurprised when the Joker laughed in response. "Do it." For a few moments, all the two did was stare into each other's eyes. "Robin! Stand down!" Batman ordered, before the raven-haired teen turned around.

"You really want me to spare him? Again?! Think of all the terrible things he's done, Bruce! For years, you've ignored what he's done in the past. Some days, I think you've forgotten about, Hell, don't even care about the entire graveyards he's filled. The people he's murdered. Have you forgotten what he did... what he did to Barbara? To Jason? And every time, we don't do what's necessary. I've listened to you for years. We all know that he'll just break out and do something a thousand times worse again, and again, and again! EVERY TIME! SO WHY CAN''T WE JUST FUCKING KILL HIM, ALREADY?!" Robin exclaimed, his eye twitching as he looked at the Batman.

The older man said nothing. All he did was scowl at the clown, only to look at his former protege with contempt. "You think I don't want him dead just as much as you? I've dreamt of a day like that coming for years. But it'd be too damned easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by where I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others, for days, even weeks, on end. And then, end him." Batman stated, eyeing the clown. "Aw, so you do think about me!" The Joker said, prompting Robin to rip out one of his teeth. Surprisingly, this only made the Joker laugh even more, almost as if he wanted to feel more pain.

"But if I allow myself to go down that path, if I allow myself to take a life… I'll never come back from it. And it wasn't until now that I realized that I am not the one running your life. I am not the one holding someone who deserves to be put on trial, and sentenced to death, at knifepoint. I can't make your decisions, Dick. It's your choice. I just hope you make the right one."

Batman turned around, as the other Titans came up to the roof, and looked in shock as their leader contemplated whether or not to kill the Joker.

Robin was conflicted on what to do. He thought about how the Joker deserved to be brought to justice, knowing, deep down, that killing him was not the right way to go. But, at the same time, he also remembered the people the Joker had hurt. Jason, Barbara, Gordon, Bruce. The children at Saint Martha's. Multiple good, decent cops who were just trying to protect their city. And so many more.

He looked at the Joker. He stared him directly in the eye. The clown smiled. He wanted Robin to kill him. And he knew that Robin was aware of this.

Robin looked back at the people he considered his friends. The people he considered to be his family.

He sighed, and put the birdarang back in his belt. The Joker began to laugh, as Robin glared at him. "I knew you couldn't do it! If either of you had the guts to do that, you would have done it years ago. Eye on the other hand…" The Joker said, eyeing his right hand, slipping a knife out of his sleeve, and slicing at Robin's abdomen, and then in his leg, before kicking him to the ground.

As Batman attempted to intervene, he pulled out a gun, and shot him in the chest, knocking him to the the ground, as well.

He then aimed the gun at the other Titans, excluding Beast Boy, who stood by the Joker. "If any of you try anything, I'll murder the two of them." The Joker said, smiling, before he kneeled by Robin's barely-conscious body.

He pulled out a phone, and showed a picture of all of the other Titans in a giant cage, clamoring to get out. "If you, or anyone else tries anything, your friends will die by being subjected to my delicious toxin!" He grinned, and laughed maniacally. "You've lost, Robin. And the last thing you hear will be me and J.J's laughter!"

He whistled, and Beast Boy pulled out something from behind his back: a crowbar. He handed the Joker the crowbar, and the Joker swung it at Robin's body, repeatedly.

As the Joker was beating Robin, Batman regained consciousness, and saw Raven collapse to the ground. She was shaking. Then, the ground started to shake.

All across Arkham Island, time stopped, and everyone there began shaking uncontrollably. And it wasn't just on Arkham Island. In East Gotham, time stopped, and people began to shake uncontrollably. All because of Raven. " _It… must be… some kind of… seizure._ " Batman thought to himself.

Batman rolled over, and yelled at Kid-Flash, "GET… DICK… OUT… OF HERE… NOW!"

Kid-Flash mustered up all of his speed, and ran to grab Dick. After he did, he didn't stop running. He run from rooftop to rooftop, and onto the ground. Then, just as he was about to run onto the water towards Gotham West, there came a mighty explosion, blasting the two onto the water, wrecking their costumes, and knocking Wally unconscious. At the same time, it practically destroyed the asylum.

They started to go under. Luckily, Robin regained consciousness, and grabbed Kid-Flash. He dragged them back onto the burning, destroyed Arkham Island.

When they made it to land, Robin gasped for air. Then, he performed CPR on Kid-Flash. Eventually, Kid-Flash awoke, and gasped for air, as well. Then, he croaked out, "Go… to the rooftop. Don't worry about me, Dick."

Robin, despite wanting to protest, nodded his head, and grabbed his grapnel gun. He fired it at the rooftop, and grappled to the top. What he saw was his friends, Victor, Garfield, Roy, Kaldur, and Karen, all lying on the ground, dead. The only one still alive was Rachel, sitting in a corner, afraid of what she had just done, panting and crying alone.

His heart sank at the sight of the dead Titans. Then he remembered about the other Titans that the Joker had locked up in the cage. He grabbed the phone, which was knocked to the ground, and saw what he feared: his friends, the other Titans, all dead. Their bodies lying on the ground. Their heads bloodied, and their guts and insides splattered all across the cage.

Robin went over to Batman's body, which was lying on the cold, hard ground, and checked for a pulse. He already knew that he wouldn't find one, but he did anyway. The Batman was no more.

He heard the Joker's laughter, and turned around to look at him. "Idiot boy. Should have killed me when you had the chance!" He said, laughing as he coughed up blood.

Then, Robin stood up, and said, "You want to know something funny? Despite everything you've ever done, all the people you've hurt, killed, or tortured, all the guilt that we've felt, I still don't regret not killing you." He tried to sound triumphant and bold as he held his bruised arm.

The Joker sat up for a moment, and, after spitting out a bloody tooth, laughed. "That actually is… pretty funny!" The clown howled with laughter and pain, as blood spilled from out of his mouth, before falling back, rolling over, and gasping for one last breath. Then, as everyone had expected would be the case the day the Clown Prince of Crime finally died, he went out with a smile on his face.

"Dick…" Starfire groaned, as she writhed in pain on the ground. Dick spun around, and knelt by her body. He held her in his arms, as she looked up at him.

"Dick… he hurt me. He tortured me. Made all of us go insane. He locked us in cages. He cut my hair. He did... awful things. To me and the others. He made me watch... he made me watch what he did to Gar." She moaned, all the while coughing up blood. "I know, Kori. I know..." He responded, tears forming in his eyelids.

"Dick, I'm… I think I'm going to die." She said. There was no confidence, no vigor, no triumph in her voice. It was a blunt thing to say, and Robin's heart sank deeper than it had all night. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no. NO. You are not going to die, Kori. I won't let that happen. Do you hear me? I won't let it happen! I'll do anything to keep you alive! I'll call the hospital. I'll get Wally to get us there! If I have to drag you and run as fast as I can, I will! I won't allow you to end up like the others! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" He exclaimed, as he took off his cape, and wrapped it around her body.

She breathed heavily, knowing that these were her final moments. Kori offered a small, sad smile, wrapping her right hand around Dick's left hand. She looked at him through tear-stained eyes, before mustering up the strength to say "It's my time, Dick. But it's not yours. Not yet. You... you still have time." And with that, Kori kissed him. Then, her eyes closed, and the life that had been present for 19 years was no more. And the only chance left of the Teen Titans existing lived on in the three heroes that could be found there.

"No… noooo…" Robin moaned, as he held Starfire's lifeless body in his arms. Tears ran down his cheeks, as he looked at the dead bodies of those that he called friends. He looked at Raven, who sat in a corner, crying out of guilt and shame. He was ashamed for not saving her, or Vic, or Garfield, or any of the other Titans whose lives had been taken from them. He couldn't even save Bruce. "I've failed all of you..."

* * *

"Wake up, Dick. Wake up!" Someone said. A startled, nineteen year-old Dick Grayson sat up in bed, and saw his girlfriend, Kori Anders, also in bed.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked. Dick sighed. "Yeah." She looked at him with sympathy, before wrapping her arms around his upper body. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked at her for a moment. Then, he closed his eyes, and said, "The Joker… he kidnapped you. And Rachel, and Vic, and Gar, and all of the other Titans. He turned you into... his family. He had the others locked in a cage, ready to kill them. God, Kori, I'm glad that it was all just a dream."

 **"Was it?"**

He automatically opened his eyes, and saw the corpses of the Teen Titans, the Justice League, and his parents, all surrounding him. Rachel, Vic, Kori, Gar, Bruce, everyone he had ever loved or cared was dead. Their bloodied, bruised bodies were husks around him, stinking and rotting in the fiery desert sun.

He gasped, and his body shook, until an arm grabbed him. Beast Boy's arm. "You… you could have done something… to save us…" Cyborg grabbed his left leg, and said, "You could have stopped him. Now look at me! Look at us! Look at what you've done, Dick!" He yelled. Raven took his left arm in her grasp. "You let me die. You wanted me dead all these years. Wasted your life away when you could have easily just ended the both of ours! NOW LOOK WHERE WE ARE!"

Batman grabbed him next. "What a disappointment you turned out to be. I thought you could be better than I ever was. When I found you, you were nothing more than an orphan, full of vengeance, ready to kill the man who destroyed your life. Now, you're nothing more than an angry drunk. You have no purpose, no goals, no will to go on. Why do you continue to keep living?"

Then, Starfire grabbed him. "You're the reason I'm dead, Dick. You're the reason all of us are dead. You should have joined us a long time ago!"

Dick screamed, and closed his eyes, as the corpses began to tear his body apart, piece by piece, as the sound of the Joker's laughter punctured his ears, rising as the corpses destroyed him completely.

Dick woke up screaming, and sat up when he did. He then started panting, and found that he was surrounded by multiple kids, all of them he recognized from the photos that Gabriella took.

A visibly startled teenage boy, Rictor, the oldest of the kids, stepped forward, smiled a little. "Welcome to Eden."

 _Author's Note: Well, that was long, and dark! This was the hardest chapter to write. I've spent over three hours working on this chapter. I hope you guys like it! Also, in case you're wondering, yes, this was basically a retelling of the flashback in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, with a few elements taken from other Batman comics, and a few references to The Wolverine, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and The Walking Dead comic. However, the biggest inspiration was probably Melismah's Revenge of the Joker. That is one of the best stories I have ever read on this site. It's gripping, dark, and a far better retelling than this one is, in spite of the fact that I put a lot of effort into this chapter. Go read it immediately if you haven't already! It is deeply effective._ _Stratos263, the end is near, and so, our characters face the final curtain. DarthBatman11, you're welcome for the shoutout in Chapter 15! Yeah, I wanted to make some of the story my own, like this entire chapter! Also, I took what you said to heart with this chapter, and made it longer! On Google Docs, this story is 13 pages long! Long story short, than you both for reviewing! Anyway, thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter Eighteen_

Dick looked around, as he began to process what he saw. Children, all around him. Some staring in awe, others backing away in fear, which was understandable, considering how he woke up.

He focused his attention on a little girl pouring a green liquid into a syringe. When she was finished, she handed the needle to a boy who looked like the oldest of all of them.

"Is this good, Rictor?" She asked. The boy, Rictor, smiled, and nodded his head. "It's good enough." He responded.

He turned to Dick, and prepared to inject the needle into his arm. However, Dick grabbed the boy's wrist, in an attempt to stop him from putting the needle into his skin.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Dick asked, gruffly. Rictor forced his Dick's hand off of his wrist, and stepped back a little. "Relax. This is supposed to help you heal. And so far, it has been helping you."

Dick shook his head. "That stuff will make you go crazy. Trust me, I've seen it. And where the Hell did you even get it?" He asked. Rictor calmly stepped forward, and said, "We got it from the facility where we came from. And it'll help you if you use it only in small doses. Now, hold still."

He stepped forward, and injected the syringe into Dick's bare shoulder. Dick cringed a bit, before breathing heavily. Then, after a few seconds, he sighed.

"I'll get out of bed in a second. I got enough sleep." He said, as he tried to sit up. Then, Laura put her arm on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes. "I don't think two hours is enough sleep."

Dick's eyes widened a little. " _I've only been asleep for two hours?_ " He thought to himself. "You need to rest." Laura continued.

Dick tried to hesitate, but knew that it was a fight he wouldn't win. So, he lied down, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Five hours later, he woke up. But this time, he wasn't sweating, or screaming. He hadn't woken up of his own accord. Instead, he woke up to the sound of a young boy playing with two toys. A small, miniature version of him, and one of 'Slade'.

The boy, Bobby, realized that Dick was awake. "Was he real?" He asked, in a small voice. "What?" Dick groaned. "Deathstroke. Was he real?"

Dick sighed, and sat up a little. "Yeah, Deathstroke was real. Why do you ask?" Bobby stepped forward a little. "Laura said that… you said the stories in the comics weren't real."

Dick looked at the ground for a moment, and remembered the cruelty of 'Slade'. "Not everything in the comics was a lie. Deathstroke was real. But he wasn't who I thought he was. He was really the Joker, using a disguise or a robot to torment me. I guess he was smarter than he looked. He got me to do things that I still regret, even today. Bad things."

When he looked up, he saw an innocence in Bobby's eyes. "But, you're doing good things, now?" He asked. Dick groaned, and lied back down. "Kid, I don't know what I'm doing, anymore." He said, before closing his eyes, and falling asleep, again.

* * *

Sometime later, Dick woke with a start again, and yelled out. He breathed heavily, and was sweating all over. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Laura asked.

She was sitting on a bunk bed, looking at Dick with an obvious fear in her eyes. "Yeah, I did." He groaned, sitting up. "I have nightmares, too." She said, sadly.

"What are they about?" Dick asked. "People hurt me." Laura responded in a small voice. "Mine are different." He responded. "How?" She asked. "People hurt my friends. Or I hurt them. Or both, at the same time."

Laura grimaced. "I've hurt people, too. But I don't want to hurt them." She said. "I don't know what to tell you, Laura. Unlike you, I wasn't taught how to kill. I was taught how to fight. I guess, all I can say is you're going to have to learn to live with that, no matter how bad it is. I still believe that killing is wrong, no matter what." He said. "They were bad people." Laura said. "All the same." Dick responded.

Laura then pulled the gun that Dick had from out of her pocket. "What is this?" She asked, handing the weapon to him. "You know what it is. It's a gun."

"I know that. But why do you have it?" She continued questioning him. He sighed, and decided that she had a right to know the truth.

"It's the gun that killed my parents. A man named Tony Zucco used it to shoot the ropes that were keeping them from falling to the ground, and they died on impact. They were trapeze artists. Before the police could catch him, Zucco escaped. Then, a good man took me in. His name was Bruce Wayne. It wasn't until a little while later that I learned that Bruce was Batman. He decided to train me to become… well, you know. Then, years later, I discovered Zucco's hideout, and wanted to pay him a visit. But Batman forbade me from going after him. I still went after him, anyway. When I went to his hideout, I took out all of his thugs, and beat him almost to death. At one point, I took that gun from him, and nearly shot him with it. But before I squeezed the trigger, I realized how I'd almost become just as bad as he was. So, I didn't kill him. But later, I left Gotham City, and took the gun with me, to keep it as a reminder of the person I could have become."

He saw that Laura looked both sad and shocked to hear his story. And he knew that she wasn't done with her questions. "Why do you still have it?" She asked.

"Well, now I keep the gun to… uh… well, honestly, I was thinking about shooting myself with it. Like Rachel said." He said, groggily. "I'm sorry." Laura said, sadly. "Don't be. It'd be the best thing to happen to me at this point." He said, as he lied down again.

"Richard?" She asked. "Yeah, Laura?" Dick responded, sitting up, again. "Have you ever taken a life?" Laura questioned, genuine worry in her voice. "No, but if I do, the first and last one I'll take will be mine."

* * *

The next morning, the children were gathered around Dick, almost all with scissors in their hands. As he slept, they tried their best not to laugh or giggle, as they trimmed his beard.

When the deed was done, and they saw what he looked like without the mess on his face that he called facial hair, they stopped holding in their laughter. They laughed with glee, amusement, and childlike innocence.

Their cackling woke the middle-aged man up, and he groaned when he woke. As he sat up, and saw all of the children, including Laura, laughing, he asked, "What's so funny?"

Then, he saw the children holding scissors. Automatically, he felt his chin, and finally realized that his beard was gone.

He got out of the bed, and walked over to a mirror. He looked at it, and saw the children's handiwork. As they continued laughing, his face grew angry. "That's not funny. That is not funny! It's not even close to funny!" They didn't care. They had their joke, and they were proud of it.

Dick saw Rictor, and walked over to him. "Hey! How long have I been out?" He asked, as Rictor exited the little cabin they were in, to which Dick followed him out.

"I asked you a question! How long have I been out?" Dick repeated. "You've been out for two days." Rictor responded. "Look, you can't stay here! H.I.V.E will find you!" Dick protested. "We're not staying here much longer! We'll be leaving tomorrow." Rictor told him, matter-of-factly. "What?!" Dick asked. "Everyone had until today to find their way. We're leaving, tomorrow. Across the border."

They made their way up to an observation deck, where Laura was using a pair of binoculars to observe her surroundings. Rictor went over to a radio, and turned it on. "We're all here. Will it be ready, tomorrow?" He asked. "Yes. From noon to five o'clock tomorrow, your asylum approved." A voice over the radio said. Strangely, the voice sounded somewhat familiar to Dick.

Rictor went over to Laura. "Turn the binoculars a little to the left, Laura. Do you see the border?" He asked. "Yes, I see it." She said. "Good, because that's where we'll be safe." He said, smiling at Laura, who beamed back.

Rictor then grabbed an envelope, and made his way over to Dick. "This is yours. Laura told me you're the reason she's here. Take it." Rictor said, handing the money to Dick.

With a small sigh, Dick put the money back in Rictor's palm. "You keep it. I don't need it, but you do." He said, as he looked at Laura, and gave a small smile. "Suit yourself." Rictor said, as he walked down the stairs.

* * *

Later that night, Laura and the other children sat around a campfire, roasting marshmallows. As she roasted one over the fire, she saw Dick come out of the cabin, only something was different about him. Actually, a few somethings were different about him. He had shaved off his beard completely, cut off the long hair, and put water in it to make it spike up.

As the children looked at him in awe, he smiled, and continued walking. "What? I figured, if I'm gonna get some of my beard cut, why not give myself a makeover?"

As he continued walking, he was stopped by one of the kids saying, "Mr. Grayson, could you tell us a story about yourself?" As soon as he heard this, he stopped dead in his tracks. Then, he turned around, gave a small sigh, and sat down next to Laura. "Sure, I've got a few I can tell."

For an hour or so, he told the children stories of his time with Batman, how he met the Teen Titans, battling foes in Jump City, he even told them about how he and Starfire started a relationship.

* * *

After that, he got up, and left. He went into the cabin, and sat on the bed. He looked through the window at the campfire, and smiled.

Then, Laura walked in. "Oh, hey. Uh, your friends seem nice." He began, but Laura walked right past him. While she was in his reach, he grabbed her arm. She turned around, and glared at him.

"What's this all about?" Dick asked. "You're not coming with." Laura said, as she forced his arm off of her. "Well, what reason do I have to come with you, anymore?" He asked. "Where will you go? What will you do?" She questioned in retaliation.

Dick shrugged his shoulders. "Nearest bar, probably gonna drink myself to death, if I feel like it." He said, as Laura turned around, and started walking over to her bunk bed. "I got you here. I did what you and your nurse friend wanted me to do! Hell, I even gave back the money!" He protested. She turned around, still glaring. "What a nice man you are." She said, sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't ask for this! Alright? And you know who else didn't ask for this? Rachel! She never asked for this. Wally never asked for this. The Munsons didn't ask for this. And the Teen Titans and the Justice League, the ones from all those fucking comic books you've read? Remember them? Well, guess what? THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS, EITHER!" Dick yelled, as Laura continued glaring at him.

"Look, I don't know what Rachel, or your nurse, or whoever-the-Hell it was that put this idea of me as an amazing superhero in your head, but I am not whatever or whoever it is you think I am. That part of me died with the other Teen Titans and the Justice League, years ago. Look around you, Laura. You've got your Rebecca, your Delilah, your Rictor, your blah blah blah, YOU'VE GOT IT! You've got it all! And it is better this way. Because I can't take care of anyone. Bad shit happens to everyone that I love or care about. Everyone that I get close to dies, because of me. Do you understand me?" He said, gruffly. "Then I will be fine." Laura said, a single tear trickling down her cheek, as she left the cabin. Dick then drifted off to sleep, exhausted from everything.

 _Author's Note: I'M BACK, YA'LL! Montana was amazing! Sorry, I've been back for three days, and I never really had the strength to continue... until tonight, that is! Andrew, thank you once again for reviewing! Yeah, the way the Titans died kinda freaked me out, too. And I'm the guy writing it! DarthBatman11, yeah, I intended for the chapter to be insanely dark, more so than any of the other chapters, which have mostly just been bleak and gritty, up until that point. Also, today marks the two-month anniversary of this story! So, for all of you who have been here and reading since then, thank you so much! Brace yourselves, because the next chapter is gonna be a fucking gut-punch. Anyway, thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time!_


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter Nineteen_

He was somewhere in the mountains of Montana. He sat on top of one, and felt the ground beneath him. It was grassy, soft, and hard at the same time. The morning sun shined in his face, which was why his eyes were completely shut.

He sat there, meditating, for only eight hours. He felt that he could do it for all eternity. It was not until the moment that someone tapped on his shoulder that the feeling that could have been eternal solitude ended.

His eyes fluttered open, and he turned his head. Then, he smiled, as he saw Kori's beaming face.

She sat down next to him, and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Dick asked. "It truly is." She said, sighing happily.

"It's not as beautiful as the graphics for the next Call of Duty game, though!" Garfield said, as he, Rachel, and Vic approached. Dick and Kori laughed at Garfield's remark, and Rachel scoffed.

"If you really think a video game is better looking than real life, you're even more delusional than I thought." Rachel said. "Besides, you don't get to see something as beautiful as that, every day." Vic chimed in, as he and Rachel sat to the left of the couple.

"I'm just saying, guys! But, I will admit, no, you don't get to see that, every day." Garfield said, as he joined his friends in watching the morning sun.

"Up a little early, are we?" Bruce said, as he, Clark, Jonn, John, Diana, Barry, Shayera, Roy, Kaldur, Karen, Wally, and the other members of both the Teen Titans and the Justice League joined him.

"Looks like you got all of us together, son." Dick turned around, and saw his parents, John and Mary, smiling, and laughing, as they sat next to him and Kori.

Dick looked around him, and smiled. His friends were there. His family. Everyone he loved. Everyone he cared for, smiling, laughing. No problems. No pain. No sense of reality.

He turned to his parents, and asked them, with a worried expression on his face, "Can you guys stay? Forever?" Their expressions turned grim. "Oh, Dick." His Mother said, sadly. "You know we can't, son. We wish we could, but we can't."

He looked down, and his smile curved into a hurt frown. He looked up. Suddenly, all of them, began to disappear. One by one, all of them, Roy, Bruce, Rachel, Garfield, Vic, had left him. Soon, the only one left was the first person to sit next to him.

The peaceful mountains had been replaced by an area. Just an area. No mountains, no sky, no buildings, no vehicles, no trees, no forests, no people. Just a great, white nothingness.

Dick saw Kori stare into the nothingness, and ran to her. "Kori! Please, stay! Please!" He said, tears in his eyes.

As he finally got to her, he found that she too had disappeared. His body, and his mind, began to spin. He looked around, searching for somebody, anybody, with the faint hope that someone was there for him.

He started running into the nothingness, searching for someone. He ran, and ran, and ran. Until, finally, he stopped.

When he stopped, he collapsed onto his knees, and broke down into a sob. He cried, like a child not getting what he wanted. He put his head into his hands, and continued to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm… I'm sorry…"

And he was there, crying, his head in his hands, for what seemed like an eternity. Then, someone put their hand on his shoulder, and he lifted his head.

He saw Kori, a sad expression on her face. He stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and hugged her. As she returned the favor, he asked, "Why can't you stay? Why can't I be with you?"

Kori took her head from his shoulder, but did not remove her arms from his body. "I told you this a long time ago, Dick, and I hoped you would remember these words: you still have time. And now, I need you to know that right now, you still have enough time to do one last good thing. To help someone. But not just some person off the streets. No, I want you to help yourself."

"How?" He questioned. "By being the father to our child." She responded. "Me? But, how could I do that? After what I told her, after the things I said, and after what happened to you, how could I protect her? How could I keep her safe?"

Kori smiled, and said, "You have one last opportunity to protect her. Did you see your daughter, _**our**_ daughter, with her friends? Did they remind you of anybody?"

Dick looked down for a moment, before staring into Kori's warm, emerald eyes. "If you can just get her across that border, to be with her friends, to be safe, then you'll have done the best thing you can do, now. Stop hiding, and be who you are, Robin."

* * *

For once, Dick didn't wake up with a jolt. He woke up peacefully. He didn't groan. He knew what he had to do. He had to go with Laura. He had to get her across that border, no matter what.

Dick sat up, and walked outside. "Laura! Laura!" He yelled, his voice echoing. He sighed, and realized that they had left.

Then, he noticed something overhead. A flying, metal object with a camera attached to it, observing the ridge. "That looks like a drone. It has to belong to H.I.V.E. Wait a minute…"

His stomach tied into knots, as he ran up to the observation tower, and looked through the pair of binoculars. When he looked, his worst fear was confirmed. H.I.V.E was already there, and they weren't taking any prisoners. They were chasing the children, hunting them down in trucks. "Oh, no."

He ran to the cabin, and saw a briefcase and a vial of the green liquid the children had used to heal him, along with a syringe. There was also a note attached to the syringe: "Use in small doses-Rictor."

He opened the suitcase, and saw something he hadn't seen in years, except for in his dreams: his costume, except made for his height. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten much taller over the years. "Thanks, Alfred." He said, as he slipped into the outfit.

When he had the pants, the boots, the gloves, the belt, the shirt, and the cape finally on, Dick put the mask around his eyes. Now that he was in costume again, Robin grabbed the liquid and the syringe, and ran as fast as he could for the children.

* * *

The children ran through the forest in North Dakota. Ran from the men they were sure they had rid themselves of. Of course, life doesn't always give you what you want, but still, it was no less angering to any of them. Especially Rictor.

" _Dammit! I thought we were done with these guys! We're so close. We just gotta make it there._ " Rictor thought to himself, as he ran. "Run! Run! Corre, Jonah! RUN!" He yelled, before suddenly being shot in the arm.

Rictor writhed in pain, as he fell to the ground. Then, Sullivan cocked his gun to the boy's head. "Lie still, baby. It's just a flesh wound." He said, as he grabbed the boy, and started heading back to Dr. Rice.

* * *

As Dr. Rice was riding in one of the vehicles, he got an incoming message on his radio. He picked it up, and clicked on the button. "What is it?" He asked. "We've got a bunch of them." Sullivan's cocky voice said through the radio.

"Well, get all of them! We need to retrieve all of them before they get to the border!" Dr. Rice said through the radio.

* * *

Robin kept running. He wasn't even close to the children. His body and eyes felt heavy, and he was breathing harder than he had in days. "Gotta… help… myself." He said, as he pulled out the syringe and the liquid.

He poured the green liquid into the syringe, and, while closing his eyes, he injected the needle into his skin. As he groaned out in pain, he felt the energy return to him.

When all of the liquid was injected into him, he stopped groaning, and gave a confident smile.

* * *

One of the children, Bobby, was running alongside Laura and Delilah, amongst the other children. He was tired, and scared. He didn't want to be chased by the bad people, and he especially didn't want to be taken back to H.I.V.E.

"Run, Bobby! Run!" Delilah said, encouraging the young boy to run faster than he ever had in his life, even including the escape from H.I.V.E.

It still wasn't enough, as Bobby was so focused on running that he tripped on a branch. He didn't have time to take into account the pain, since he was being handcuffed by an enforcer at the same time. As he was being dragged away, he saw Sullivan smirking.

"'Don't make me run, I'm full of chocolate!' Good try, fat-boy. Sorry to say it, but it wasn't good enough." Sullivan said, laughing as Bobby was taken to where the other children were.

* * *

Laura was running alongside Delilah. Both were frightened, but neither were as frightened as the other children, taking their abilities into account. As they ran, six enforcers fired their weapons at the girls, causing them to duck behind a tree.

As they were being shot at, Laura said, "We need to split up. I can sneak behind them, if you can hold them off for a little while." Delilah smirked, and said, "I've got this, Laura. But when the time comes, will you be ready?" Laura smiled confidently. "I'm always ready."

Delilah ran into the way of the soldiers, and dodged their bullets, until eventually, she was cornered by them. "Gotcha, little girl! Nowhere to run." One of the enforcers said.

Delilah smirked, and said, "No, I've got _**you.**_ LAURA, NOW!" At that moment, Laura jumped from behind the enforcer that threatened Delilah, and blasted his heart from out of his chest. Then, she grabbed his gun, and threw it at the head of the second enforcer, knocking him into the tree.

When she attacked the third one, she jumped on his shoulders, wrapping her arms and legs around his neck, and twisted with all her might. Eventually, the head snapped, and, with a little extra strength, the head came off. When it did, she screamed with anger.

As for Delilah, she lifted the dirt from the ground with only her hands and her mind, and lifted the branches and sticks that had fallen from the trees, and all the pine needles on the trees, added them together, and aimed them at the men.

"LAURA, DUCK!" She yelled, before thrusting the various sticks, branches, needles, and other objects into the other three enforcers, which pierced multiple parts of their bodies, slowly but surely killing them, and in a way that they more than deserved, considering their treatment of her, Laura, and the other children.

As Delilah growled, an enforcer snuck up behind her, and yanked her down to the ground. "GOTCHA!" He yelled, as another enforcer came up with a pair of handcuffs.

Before anyone could do anything, Laura blew the legs off of the enforcer with the handcuffs, and ripped the right arm off of the other enforcer, releasing Delilah, who heard the sound of other children crying out for help.

Laura noticed what Delilah was hearing. "Go! I won't be far behind." Laura said, as Delilah nodded her head, and ran off.

Laura continued to use her starbolts to kill the enforcer, and screamed as she did so. Even after he was dead, she continued to 'work' on him.

Then, she stopped as soon as she heard the sound of a familiar voice yelling in the distance. Her heart skipped multiple beats as she heard the sound. It was… _him._

* * *

Robin ran through the North Dakota Forest. He ran faster than he had in years. The way he was moving was at top speed, so much so that you wouldn't even believe his age.

As he ran, he saw an enforcer turn around and notice him. "Oh, God. IT'S ROBIN!" He yelled. "Everyone, left flank!" Another enforcer said, as they aimed their weapons.

Robin didn't care that they were firing their weapons at him. He charged into the gunmen. He rammed one enforcer to the ground, immediately knocking him unconscious. Then, he moved onto a second, and beat him across the chest with his bo-staff. Next, he held out two hands, took two enforcers, and smashed their heads into each other's. Finally, he jumped onto a fifth enforcer, and smashed his head to the ground.

After that, he let out a mighty yell of anger, one that echoed throughout the entire forest. Then, Robin heard the familiar yell of Laura. "Hang on, Laura. I'm coming for you."

* * *

One of the enforcers called most of his platoon together, including Dr. Rice and Sullivan. At the spot where they were instructed to meet, the enforcer brought a bag and a glass vial with him.

He handed it to Sullivan, who sighed, and turned around to show Dr. Rice the evidence. "He's back." Sullivan said, an angry expression on his face.

Dr. Rice nodded his head, and also sighed. "Well, what are you waiting for? Drive! Let's go! Let's go!" He said to his vehicle's driver, as well as the other enforcers, as Sullivan grabbed Rictor from one of the enforcers, and put a gun to his head.

* * *

Laura was surrounded by enforcers. All of them with their weapons trained on her. They were all ready to kill her. She growled, and glared at all of them, but even she knew that she could only take on so many. Then, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat or two.

Robin, the leader of the Teen Titans, the hero she had read so many stories about, running towards the men raising their guns at her. His cape flowed in the distance, a birdarang was in his right hand, and his bo-staff in the other. " _He's here for me?"_

He took the birdarang, and threw it into an enforcer's shoulder. Then, he took the bo-staff, and used it to knock three of them onto the ground with one swoop.

Laura took advantage of the enforcers' attention being diverted to Robin, and jumped onto an enforcer's shoulders. She took her fingernails, and dug into his eyes, before blowing them out of his head, along with his brains, entirely.

Robin punched a soldier in the face a couple of times, before grabbing his arms, and aiming the gun at a H.I.V.E armored vehicle. He fired at the engine, causing it to stop moving.

Then, Robin hid behind a tree, and took out a remote controlled birdarang. He threw it, and maneuvered it around, making sure that it hit as many enforcers in the head as possible. One by one, men went down like chess pawns.

Still, there were three enforcers. " _Easy._ " He thought to himself, as he ran from behind the tree, sliding down to the ground, and knocking down one enforcer, before jumping up and knocking another to the ground.

He failed to notice the third one sneaking up on him, as the last enforcer, for now, aimed his weapon at him. But before the enforcer could pull the trigger, Laura blasted a hole through his lower abdomen.

Hearing the sound of gunfire in the background, and seeing more enforcers on the way, Robin said to Laura, "Get behind me!" She did, and he charged head-on, knocking out multiple enforcers as he did.

Then, as he was surrounded by multiple enemies, but still fighting, he bent down a little, signalling Laura to jump on his back. She stepped on his back, and jumped onto the ground, blowing off the legs of three enforcers, simultaneously.

It was a glorious battle. Young and old. Master and student. Killing and non-killing. Daughter and Father.

Once the enforcers were all dead, their corpses mangled, lying on the ground, left to rot, Robin began to groan, and breathe heavily. Laura looked at him with concern. "You took all the medicine, didn't you?" She asked.

He panted, and nodded his head. "Let's go. We gotta keep moving." He said, and the two made their way to find the other children.

* * *

Eventually, Robin and Laura found them, all on the ground, handcuffed, and surrounded by what was left of the enforcers, including Sullivan and Dr. Rice.

The two looked at the hostage situation in front of them, but both with different thoughts going through their heads. Laura was thinking about what she would do to Sullivan and Rice and all of the other enforcers if they even tried to hurt her friends. Robin, on the other hand, was forming an attack strategy.

When he had everything figured out, he turned to Laura, and said, "Go to your friends." She nodded her head, and started to make her way to the back of Dr. Rice's vehicle, but before she left, Robin said, "Laura… you'll know when."

* * *

He ran out into the view of the other enforcers. "Nine o'clock!" One of them yelled, and all of the others aimed their weapons at him. At the same time, Dr. Rice got out of the vehicle he was in, and Sullivan walked toward Robin, a badly wounded Rictor in one hand, and a gun cocked to Rictor's head in the other.

"Looks like that green juice is starting to wear off, isn't it? You know, I'm actually surprised you came this far, just to lose it all at the last minute. Now, I'm just laughing." Sullivan said, a smirk on his face.

"Argh, waste this fucker, Robin!" Rictor said, before Sullivan hit him in the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the ground.

"Please stop, Mr. Grayson! Unless you want me to fire on these little children, and we both know that you don't want that, do you?" Dr. Rice said, as he approached Sullivan, whilst keeping his distance from Robin.

Meanwhile, Laura snuck up behind the good Doctor's truck, out of view to all of the others, except for Dick, who noticed her, and who also noticed that he needed to keep the Doctor distracted.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Zander Rice. I believe you knew my Father in the Great War of the Justice League." Dr. Rice said. "Yeah. He's the son of a bitch who helped supply Brother Blood with Kryptonite to take down Superman, and other weapons to help destroy the Justice League." Robin said.

Dr. Rice shook his head a little. "Yes, he was one of them." Robin smirked a little, and said, "The joke was on him, because the last thing that Superman did before he died was kill him."

"Why don't you show some respect, assfuck? Because you're looking at the man who helped wipe out the kind of people you like to associate with. The kind of people you call 'friends'." Sullivan said, smugly.

"My friend Daniel overexaggerates. He makes it sound more brutal than intended. The goal was not to wipe out those with… abilities, but the plan was to control it." Dr. Rice began, as Laura signalled to Bobby, who moved a little closer to the truck he was next to, ready to use his powers.

"I realized, that we needn't stop perfecting what we eat and drink. That we could use those products to perfect ourselves. By distributing them discreetly through products of our own, such as sweet drinks and breakfast cereals. And the best part? It worked. Anyone with abilities lost them within days, and the number of people with powers went the way of polio. So, we decided that it was time to move on to our next venture." Dr. Rice explained.

"So that's why my friend lost his powers. And let me guess: your 'next venture' was growing kids with those kinds of powers?" Robin asked, as he reached into his pocket.

"Precisely." Dr. Rice said. "These are dangerous times, Richard. You can't-" Sullivan began, before he was cut off by Robin pulling out the gun that Tony Zucco used to kill his parents, and shooting one bullet through Dr. Rice's head.

Then, Robin fired another bullet at Sullivan's cybernetic hand, taking the gun right out of his grip.

Everyone was shocked. The protege of Batman, a killer? It wasn't possible. The children were completely taken off guard, as was Sullivan, who realized that Robin was coming at him.

He stumbled away, as Laura came out from where she was hiding, jumped onto the shoulders of an enforcer, and twisted his neck, instantly killing him. Then, she blasted the intestines and arms out of and off of a second enforcer that aimed his gun at Robin.

As the two enforcers on the truck next to the children focused their attention on Laura, Bobby, using his power of electricity, shocked the truck, instantly killing the two men.

Sullivan ran to the truck Dr. Rice rode in, and looked around to see that Robin was still coming after him. So, he ran to the back of the truck, and opened the door. "Showtime, girl!"

At that moment, a very angry X-24 jumped out of the back of the truck, and pounced on Robin, knocking him onto the ground. She yelled a horrible, fierce yell, and started to attack Robin.

X-24 attempted to hit Robin in the face, but he grabbed her arm, and used it to punch herself in the face. He punched her repeatedly, with his own hand and hers, until eventually, she grabbed him by the hand, and flipped him over, and onto the ground he went.

As Robin groaned, X-24 ripped the door off of a truck, and prepared to behead him with it. But, just as she was about to do so, Laura pounced on X-24's back, and started blasting her with everything she had.

But, because of the enhanced healing factor given to the mindless creature, Laura's efforts were in vain. And then the beast forced the girl off of her, and slammed her into the truck.

Robin, seeing X-24 prepare to kill Laura, growled ferociously, and rammed X-24 to the ground.

While on the ground, he beat her senselessly. He punched, smacked, and even bashed her head to the ground a little.

X-24 struggled to get up. Robin was, surprisingly winning. Sullivan saw this, and cocked a rifle. "Sorry, Robin. But, it has to end like this." He said, aiming the weapon at Robin.

Then, Sullivan felt the space around him shaking, as all of the children stood up. He saw one of them use telekinesis to remove the rifle from his hands, and to slam him onto the ground.

Then, all of the children started using their powers to manipulate the grass around him covering his whole body, electrocuting him, freezing him, and doing all kinds of horrible things to him. "P-please." He tried to plead while his mouth wasn't covered by grass.

Eventually, the grass entangled his body, and all of the children using their powers, along with the combined force of their powers, killed Daniel Sullivan.

Robin smiled, glad that the children had been freed. But his look of triumph turned to one of horror, as X-24 let out an enraged scream, and threw him into a tree, briefly knocking him unconscious.

As Robin regained consciousness, he saw Laura, fighting the beast with all her strength. But she wasn't winning. X-24 was pummeling Laura, and the girl couldn't take much more of it.

Then, he saw Rictor, also regaining consciousness, and observing the fight.

He groaned, and started crawling toward Laura. "L… Laur… LAURA!" He yelled, as Rictor started to move Dr. Rice's truck using his powers, groaning and screaming as he did so.

As X-24 looked up, and saw the world of pain that she was about to face, Robin charged forward, grabbed Laura, and ran out of the way, so that Rictor could kill the thing.

Rictor stopped holding a telekinetic grip on the truck, and let it drop on X-24.

Robin groaned in pain. His suit was torn apart. The R on his chest was gone, the sleeves on his shirt were torn, his pants had multiple rips, his belt had disappeared, his cape was tattered, and his mask was ripped, with a cut through the left eye-piece, and the other eyepiece, as well as the other half of the mask, being completely gone.

His body was bruised and battered. He was missing some teeth, there was blood trickling down his arm, and he took off the glove on his right hand to reveal that he had broken multiple nails.

Ignoring all of this, Robin ripped off his cape and set Laura down on the ground. He took off his mask, and then his cape, and wrapped the cape around the young girl.

Laura looked up at him with warmth. There was… a relief in his eyes. A happiness.

And then, everything was back to normal. The sounds of grunting come from underneath the truck. A shocked Dick turned to face the truck, and the monster.

"Run, kids. RUN! Go, GO NOW!" He yelled, as the children ran, and X-24 broke out of the truck, screaming. Unafraid, Dick ran towards the animal, whose screams of fury sent chills down Laura's spine, and readied his bo-staff.

Unfortunately for Dick, X-24 readied herself as well, and ripped the staff from Dick's hands, and smacked him across the body with it, repeatedly.

Then, she snapped the staff in half, as Dick groaned in pain. "No!" Laura yelled, while X-24 grabbed Dick by the head, and smashed it into the ground.

X-24 put her hands on his collar, and dragged him by it, toward a tree with multiple sharp branches on it.

Laura saw the gun that Robin had, and noticed something else in the truck. It read, 'Emergency Bullets'. Hurriedly, she grabbed the gun, grabbed a bullet, and put it into the chamber. Then she ran toward X-24, hoping to kill the thing before it could do anything.

But Laura was too late. X-24 took Dick's body, and impaled him on the tree branches.

Dick screamed in pain. Blood spewed from his mouth. A hole was in his abdomen. And X-24 was blasting him over and over again. Until, when she raised her fists to deliver the final blow, growling as she did so, Laura pulled the trigger, and a bullet pierced X-24's head, blowing off half of it, and blowing her brains out as well.

The beast fell to the ground, and was no more. Then, Laura dropped the gun to the ground, and ran over to Dick, who was lying on the tree. He was coughing and vomiting blood at the same time. "No, no, no." She said, as tears formed in her eyes.

Laura kneeled down, put her hand to the branch that had impaled Dick, and blasted it. He groaned out of misery, but it did the trick. The branch came off, and he slumped to the ground.

Laura tried to put her hands on the thing, in an attempt to remove it, but Dick stopped her. "Don't. I don't have much time left anyways, do I?" He said, chuckling sadly.

"Let me take that thing out of you! Please!" She begged. Dick frowned, and said, "I'm sorry, kiddo. But I'm at the end of my rope. You know that just as much as I do."

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she bowed her head, nodding.

Then, he grabbed her by the hand, and held it tight. "Laura… don't be what they made you." She looked at him. "You don't have to fight anymore." He continued.

"But, I don't want you to go! Everyone around me has died, except for my friends! Gabriella, Rachel, Wally, the Munsons. And it's all my fault!" Laura sobbed. "It's-it's not your *cough* *cough* fault, Laura. It never was." Dick said, with a pained expression on his face, and tears forming in his own eyes.

"Please, don't go! Please! Robin, I need you!" She exclaimed. "Laura… I know that… if I go, you won't have a Father… but I also know that… if you cross that border… and if you're with your friends… then I'll have died knowing that I did one last thing right."

Laura looked at him for a few moments, as tears streamed down his face. She sobbed, and hugged him. Then, surprisingly, he hugged her back.

"I love you, Dad." "I… love you too, Laura."

She stopped hugging him, and saw his sad expression turn into one of… happiness. Or relief. Or something.

"So… so, this is what it feels like…" And, with those final words escaping his mouth, Richard Grayson was dead.

"No… no!" She sobbed, hugging the lifeless body, as her friends watched.

* * *

They buried his body by a spot near the water. The only things they kept were the gun and the ripped mask. When they were finished, they used some tape they found from one of the trucks, and attached two sticks together to form a cross.

As the children stood behind his grave, Laura stood before it, and began to speak. "A man is what he has to be, Joey. Can't break the mold. There's no living with a killing. Right or wrong, it's a brand. And a brand sticks. Now you run on home to your Mother, and tell her that everything's alright. And that there are no more guns in the valley." She said, finishing her sermon, tearfully.

"Let's go. We gotta keep moving." Rictor said, as he slung his bag over his back. He and the other children began to walk away from the grave.

Laura also started to walk away, about to join them. Then, she turned around, and kneeled down by the grave. She took the tape conjoining the two sticks, and peeled it off.

She repositioned the sticks, and attached them. Then, she stuck the sticks into the ground. They were now in the form of a 'T'. To honor the last and founding member of the Teen Titans, Richard John Grayson. She knew that, to many, he was simply Robin. But she would always remember him as the most important thing he could have been to her: her Father. The man who saved her, and who she would try to honor with every breath until her last.

After sticking the cross into the ground, Laura stood up, and walked away, the tears still rolling down her cheeks. She was sad, and scared. But, she knew, deep down, that she was ready to take on whatever the world could throw at her. So, she continued to walk away from the grave.

And she never looked back.

 _ **THE END**_

 _Author's Note: This is it. This is the end. The end of my personal favorite story that I've written. I thought I would be more relieved. Instead, I feel... depressed, even more so than usual. I can't believe it. Andrew, the end is here, and it has happened. DarthBatman11, thank you for saying that the last chapter was great! I hoped this pleased your need for a great final action set piece. Thank you all, especially the two aforementioned reviewers, for sticking with me and this story. It's been a Hell of a journey. Anyway, thank you all for reading, please leave a review or question (I might post a Q and A Chapter), and, as always, take care, and I'll see you next time. I'm the Flying Hawaiian 001, and... I'm gonna go to bed._


	20. Chapter 20

_Epilogue_

She woke up to the sound of the rain, and the single snowflake that fell on her nose. It had been snowing for days, but it had also, surprisingly, rained plenty of times, in the past few days. Not that she minded, like the other children, did. In fact, most of the time, she didn't talk, at all. Not since Dick died.

The other children knew not to talk about it with Laura. She didn't want to hear a word about it, and they listened to her, out of respect for both her and Dick.

The other kids were waking up, with her. Laura sat up, and stretched. She sighed, and got up. Then, she saw Rictor, already awake.

It was early. It had to be. Rictor was always up early, ever since their time at H.I.V.E. "Good morning, Laura. Guys, get yourselves ready for the day. We're close. The coordinates are nearby!" He said, cheerfully.

As the other children hastily got up, Laura grabbed her back, and slipped on her hoodie. She pulled the hood over her head, to block the rain from her hair.

She made sure that she had everything with her, and left nothing behind. They had been on the road for three months, and had gotten used to staying in less than hospitable environments. " _It can always be worse_." She thought to herself.

After eating an energy bar for breakfast, Laura, along with Rictor and the others, began walking through the snow and rain.

They had decided to sleep in the forest close to the city, for the night. " _At least the trees mostly protected us from the storm_." She thought to herself.

* * *

"Laura, look!" Rictor said to her, as he motioned for her to come over to where he was. She walked over, and her eyes widened when she saw what he was looking at.

The building was old, derelict, and torn apart. But, for all Laura knew, it was still functioning.

There was a boat waiting for them by the water. Big enough to fit all of them. The children all hopped aboard the boat. Laura got on, last. Then, the boat started to control itself, or someone was controlling it from somewhere else, and it began to float across the water, and to the little island where Titans Tower, the former home to the Teen Titans, stood.

Once they got to the island, they were unsure of what to do, first. "What do we do, Rictor?" Bobby asked. "Someone should go in, and check it out, first." Rictor responded.

"I'll do it." Laura said, to the surprise of everyone, including Rictor. "Laura… are you sure?" He asked. Laura nodded her head, and said, "Yes, I'm sure."

* * *

She got out of the boat, and walked as slow as possible to the front door of the tower. She was amazed by how much bigger it was in real life compared to the pictures of it that were shown in her comic books.

When Laura got to the door, she twisted the knob to the right. Then, it opened. Correction, the door fell off next to her, and would have landed on her had she not moved a little to the left. It was clear to Laura that the tower, like her Father and Rachel, had aged.

She walked inside, and saw a staircase, which she wouldn't have seen had it been for the blinking light-bulb, overhead. She walked up the staircase. Laura knew she was on a path, for it was leading her towards an elevator.

Laura walked over to elevator, and saw a console with three buttons, like the one she saw back at the hotel in Oklahoma. Remembering that the second button on the console, in the middle, was the one to push in order to open the door, she pressed it.

Laura waited for fifteen seconds, mentally counting down until, finally, the door to the elevator opened. In stark contrast to the rest of the building, the elevator was full of light. She went in, and the doors closed, on their own.

Then, she heard a noise. It sounded like a radio, but she saw no such thing in sight. Then… "Press the button for the top floor." A female voice said, over static. The static could have made it hard to hear, but, Laura had no trouble understanding.

She pressed the button, and the elevator began to lift her up, up, up, until, finally, the doors opened yet again, and she finally saw where she was. She was in a room, that looked like it had once been a nice place to live in, but which had been worn away by the steins of time.

She wandered to the window at the far end of the room. The rays of the sun shining through the broken window helped Laura see. She walked towards the window, and stared at the water multiple stories beneath her.

"Quite a sight, huh?" A new voice, a male voice, spoke, making Laura spin around. "Who's there? Who are you? Come out!" She said, preparing a starbolt in her right hand.

"Awww… but, I'm in the dark, and I like the dark." The voice spoke, softly, but mockingly. "Cut it out, Jason. The poor girl is exhausted, most likely. In fact, I'm sure you're exhausted, aren't you, Laura?" Another voice said.

Laura recognized the voice. It was the voice of the woman on the radio back at Eden. The voice in the elevator. "Come into the light." Laura demanded.

Then, two people stepped into the light. One in a wheelchair, the other with his, or her, face concealed by a black and white mask. "Howdy, darlin'. How was the trip here?" The man in the mask asked.

Laura took a step back, shocked by what she was seeing. "You… you're…" "Red X? Yeah, that's me." Jason Todd, wearing his Red X uniform, said.

"But, who was the woman-" She began, before being interrupted by the female voice. "I was." She said, as she rolled out into the light. She was an older woman, with red yet graying hair, bags under her eyes, and, most obvious of all to Laura, in a wheelchair.

The woman rolled over to Laura, and, when she was close enough, stretched out her hand. "Barbara Gordon. That's my name. However, I think you might know me as Batgirl." The woman, Barbara, said. "You've met Jason, who acts like an asshole, excuse my language, most of the time. Nevertheless, I'm surprised and happy that you're here, Laura." She continued.

Laura shook Barbara's hand, albeit cautiously, and slowly. When she was done shaking Barbara's hand, she took a step back. "What do you want with me?" She asked.

"We've been communicating with Rictor about what you've been through." Barbara said. "Is it true, then? Are Rachel and Dick… are they really?" Laura nodded sadly. "Yes. They're both dead. Because of-" She was about to continue, but was interrupted by Barbara putting her finger to her lips, shushing her.

"None of the things that have happened are your fault, Laura. Don't blame yourself. And, to answer your question, what I want from you is to listen to my plan. My idea, my dream for so long." Barbara said, before motioning to Jason.

Jason sighed, and pulled out a remote. Then, he clicked a button on said remote, and, from the ground of the room beneath their feet, rose a containment unit, housing something on a mannequin, of sorts.

Laura had a hard time seeing what was inside the unit, but that didn't stop her from being curious, or from following Barbara over to the unit.

"We've been in hiding for so long, Laura. We've been up here for years. We have seen what the world has become, and we resent those who made it this way. Contrary to what you were thinking, the people you killed back in North Dakota were not the last remaining members of H.I.V.E, and, even if they were, there is still so much more to deal with in the world. Laura, the world is not the same as what it used to be. But, I feel that, now that you and your friends are here, that we can put a little bit of the world back together." Barbara explained, as the lights in the containment unit revealed what was inside.

It was a costume. Her Father's costume. A smaller version of the one she had seen him wear in battle. The one she had seen in her comic books.

As she stared in awe at the outfit, and how pristine it still looked after all the years of it being untouched, she asked, "This was… this was my Father's?"

Barbara nodded her head. "Yes. And I want you to modify it. Make it into your own costume. And then, when you're ready, I want you to wear it."

Laura diverted her attention from the costume to the woman. "Laura… I want to train you and your friends to hone your abilities. To unlock your full potential. To become the next generation of heroes, the one that the world needs, right now. Laura, I want you to lead a new age of Teen Titans."

Laura was speechless. She was unsure of what to say to the woman offering her something she never thought she'd have. "So, what do you say, Laura? Are you, and, hopefully, your friends, in?" Barbara asked.

The woman once again offered her hand to Laura. As did Jason, who stood next to Barbara. Laura, who was looking down at the outstretched hand in front of her, had finished contemplating what she wanted, and gladly shook Barbara's hand, and, afterwards, accepting Jason's hand.

"I'm in. And I know that my friends are in, as well." She said. "Well, what are you waiting for, kid? Go get them." Jason said, brashly.

Laura nodded her head, and turned for the elevator. She went over, hit the 'open' button on the console, and waited for the door to open. When the door finally opened after fifteen seconds, she got in.

Then, just as she got into the elevator, and before it was about to close, she turned around, looked at Barbara and Jason, and said, "One more thing. I prefer to be called 'Robin'."

 _ **THE END?**_

 _Author's Note: You thought I was done with this story, didn't you? Nope, I was just contemplating whether or not I wanted to make this chapter! Eventually, I decided to write it, and end this story, once and for all! I hope it satisfies you, and excites you for the future, which I'm still unsure of with this story! Andrew, thank you for your kind words on the last chapter! Yeah, it sucked when I had to kill of Dick. Hopefully, Laura has a bright future ahead of her, along with her friends! If a story presents itself to me, I will write it! But, for now, I want to focus on 'Rebellion for the Planet of the Walking Dead', as well as 'Thunderbird'. God, I gotta finish 'Thunderbird'. DarthBatman11, thank you for your kind words! If you're excited for my future projects, I plan on making a similar story about Kung Fu Panda, which involves a dark future, and an older, weathered hero, as well. It won't be as dark as this story, but it'll still be pretty bleak. SpectreFanchin10, I was thinking that, if this were a movie, the song playing over the credits would be 'God Moving Over the Face of the Waters', like with 'Heat'. Guest, it looks like you've found out who the familiar voice was! And EvaShinobiKaiserKnight, you weren't right about who the voice was, but you gave me the idea to include Red X into the story! Anyway, thank you all for reading this story, thank you for the wonderful feedback you've all given me, and thank you for sticking with it! Take care, and have a good evening! I'm the Flying Hawaiian 001, and I'm done!_


End file.
